Former Reading FC loanee Jeff Hendrick has praised manager Noel Hunt and admitted that he offered to return to the club in the summer.
Hendrick, who was on loan at Reading for the 2022/23 season, was avialble as a free agent but has now called time on his career in professional football.
Speaking to Boyle Sports: (http://boylesports.com/sports/football), Hendrick confirmed that he spoke to Noel Hunt about a potential return to the club.
He said: “Noel’s a great guy. I never really crossed paths with him until I was at Reading. He’s such a friendly guy. He came in under difficult circumstances after we’d just been docked six points.
“He did well, trying to get the lads going and bring in some positivity, but it just wasn’t enough in the end. I really liked him. When he got the Reading job again, I looked at the squad, and it was full of kids. As I said, they didn’t really have men in the dressing room, those older players who can lead.
“Again, he did really, really well. I remember I messaged him in the summer because he had to basically interview for the job again. I said, ‘I hope you get it. I think you’ve done enough. You showed them enough with how well it went.’
“And he got it in the end. Not going to lie, I did say, ‘I’m only around the corner if you need a bit of help.’ I think I was a bit too old in the end, which was interesting.
“Then I got a call for a player profile of Matt Ritchie, who’s two years older than me. I just had a laugh. Obviously, I think having Matt in was great for the club. I know how he works, how he trains, so it was really good.
“Getting back to Noel, I hope he does well. It’s been a bit of a tough start for them, so hopefully, they can pick up. I like to see managers get a bit of time.”
