Liam Henderson is excited the prospect of coming up against countrymen Billy Gilmour and Scott McTominay this weekend, as Scottish stars continue to take Serie A by storm.
Midfielder Henderson started the trend when he left Celtic to join Serie B club Bari in January 2018, and his impressive displays won him a move to Hellas Verona six months later, who he helped win promotion back to the top tier in Italy in his first season. The former Scotland U21 international had a brief loan spell with Empoli in 2020 before joining Lecce 12 months later, only to return to Empoli in the summer of 2021.
The 28-year-old was back in Serie B on loan at Palermo last season, but has racked up 93 appearances in total for Empoli, where he has won his place back in the side under new boss Roberto D’Aversa. The trailblazer has since been followed in Italy by Aaron Hickey – who enjoyed a fruitful spell with Bologna that secured him a big money move to Premier League side Brentford – Lewis Ferguson and Josh Doig, while trio Gilmour, McTominay and Che Adams are the latest Scottish exports in Serie A having joined Napoli and Torino respectively last summer.
Speaking to La Nazione via tuttomercatoweb.com ahead of Empoli’s trip to face top of the table Napoli on Sunday, Henderson said: “At the moment, very good, you can see it. In addition to the two from Napoli, there is also Ferguson at Bologna and Doig at Sassuolo.
“For me there is no easy match in Serie A, especially when you play against teams that have great quality like Napoli. We know it is a difficult match, we will go on the pitch as always to give our best. During the match we will have to stay united and play together as a team, as we have always done so far.
“Of course, we have to keep our feet on the ground and continue like this. The coach, together with his staff, has been very good at putting this thought into our heads. Even if Lobotka won’t be there, Gilmour will probably be there, another Scot who for me is very strong.”
Henderson – a Scottish Cup winner with Hibs and a title winner with both Celtic and Rosenborg – also credited D’Aversa for handing him a fresh start at Empoli. “Yes, the coach and his staff have given me confidence and this is an important thing after a difficult year in Palermo from a personal point of view”, he added.
“I was really very happy to return to Empoli and to have found this extraordinary group. I like a coach who says things directly like he does. The manager has been good with everyone, we as a team have great respect for him and his staff.”
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