New SIGNING INTERVIEW: ‘The minute Derby came in I knew I wanted to come back’ – Hendrick
New SIGNING INTERVIEW: ‘The minute Derby came in I knew I wanted to come back’ – Hendrick
The 33-year-old has joined the club as a free agent after an eight-and-a-half-year absence from the Rams. He came up through the youth ranks at Moor Farm Training Centre after signing from Irish side St. Kevins Boys in July 2008.
Hendrick made 214 appearances in all competitions over seven full seasons in black and white, from 2009/10 to the start of the 2016/17 season. The midfielder joined Burnley and racked up 147 appearances in the Premier League for the Clarets and then Newcastle United over the next six seasons.
In more recent years he has returned to Championship action with spells at Queens Park Rangers, Reading and Sheffield Wednesday over the last three campaigns.
After joining John Eustace’s Derby squad in training for the last two weeks, he has signed up with the team on a deal that runs until the end of the 2024/25 season.
Hendrick sat down with RamsTV to discuss returning to Derby, his memories of the club and looking to use his experience to help the squad in the end of season run-in.
On being back in a Derby County shirt…
It feels good. I was just trying jerseys on, thinking how I wouldn’t have believed that I would ever be putting the [Derby] jersey back on. But once I got the call to come back, straight away, for me, my head and heart knew I had to say yes.
I don’t think you’d think about [whether you’ll come back]. I’ve seen players return to old clubs over the years and it must have been a nice feeling for them. I’ve felt that over the last few days, seeing the familiar faces, people who have helped me grow up and took me in and looked after me when I was so young. It has been a nice feeling.
On how the move back to the Rams materialised…
I was away with my partner, and I got a text saying the manager had been in touch, asking where my fitness was at, where my headspace was and if I wanted to come in. I had turned some teams down over the summer in January because they just didn’t feel right to me, didn’t excite me. But the minute Derby came in, it just felt right straight away. I said I’m not fully fit because you can’t be unless you’re training or playing games. But I held myself to a good enough standard where I had a certain amount of fitness. The main thing was just getting in amongst the group and getting sharper really.
On having some time away from playing and getting back into training at Moor Farm…
I’ve been more hands-on at home, family-wise – while also going to the gym. I got a new hobby in padel and have been taking little trips away. Probably the most surprising thing was I didn’t think I’d run as much as I have been; when you do so many pre-seasons, you think, I’m not enjoying this. Then when you come out of it, you’re just doing it for yourself. I’ve been staying in shape and going to the gym, working my daily calendar around the family a bit more. Making sure I was going to the gym and trying to get better at padel.
Don’t get me wrong, the first couple of days [training with the Derby squad] were tough. But now I’m feeling okay and just getting used to striking a ball again, twisting, turning. That’s the main thing. After a few days of that, my body feels good. I’m just itching to get more training sessions under my belt.
On bringing experience to the group…
I’m an older player now, so maybe [I can bring] a bit of experience to help players in any way I can. Whether it’s talking in training or showing them things in training. If I didn’t think I could bring something, there’d be no point in me coming here and being away from my family. Like I said, once the call came, I wanted to try and help the club in any way possible.
I’ve played with him [John Eustace] and worked under him at QPR and with Ireland as well, so we know each other. That was one of the things I said to him on the phone, “What do you want from me?” And obviously, I’m here to help, he just said, to be myself, as he knows what I’m like from playing and coaching me. That was nice to hear because I must have done something right when working with him.
On returning to Pride Park Stadium…
I’m excited to be back. We trained at the stadium today. And I was in the car with a few of the lads who were asking me when I’d last been to Pride Park. It was nearly nine years ago. I caught a game when I first left but since then I’ve never had a chance to come back. It will be nice to be back in the stadium full of fans and to be back in and around on matchday.
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