LIAM HENDERSON has revealed he has become an impromptu English teacher as the former Celtic star laps up life with Bari.
The 21-year-old became the first Scottish player since Graeme Sounness in 1986 to ply his trade in Italy when he made the switch from Parkhead in January and has swiftly cemented a starting berth, scoring his first goal for the club against Ternana last month.
Henderson has become a firm fan favourite, christened ‘Braveheart’ by the Curva, and he has lavished praise on the locals, staff and
team-mates who have made him feel welcome in the historic southern city.
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The classy midfielder has even picked up some Italian during his two months in the country, while he is seeking to return the favour by giving Colombian winger Andres Tello – on loan from Juventus – a crash course in English.
“I am trying to learn bits of Italian,” Henderson smiled. “All the players have been very helpful if I have any questions or things I don’t understand.
“I can go to them and they will explain. Every single player has welcomed me with open arms and I really can’t speak highly enough of
everyone in the city.
“I am close to [Dutch defender] Djavan Anderson, because he speaks English and I am friends with Libor [Kozak], we come into
training together. Me and Libor will go for food and coffee and sometimes, after training, I will just put my headphones in and go for a walk, get some fresh air and explore the city.
“The coffee is good – but it’s strange that they are so small!
“I am trying to teach Andres [Tello] English, so we spend quite a lot of time together. Hopefully I can help him out and his English improves.”
He added: “I’ve seen some fans call me Braveheart and that’s nice. It’s obviously a famous story, and every Scottish person knows William Wallace, so hopefully things can keep going well.”
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Henderson is thriving under the watchful eye of Italian World Cup winner Fabio Grosso, with Bari currently in fifth spot – a promotion play-off place – and enjoying a five-game unbeaten run, and he
reckons his new gaffer is firmly in the mould of former bosses Neil Lennon and Alan Stubbs.
And he believes winning promotion with Grosso’s men would top his Scottish Cup triumph at Hibs in 2016.
“I think it would be the pinnacle of my career if we were to go up to Serie A,” continued Henderson.
“But I can’t look so far ahead. I’ve only played five matches so I just need to find a level of consistency, play well in every game and repay the manager for the trust he showed in me.
“I knew the manager was a top professional and played at the very highest level and I feel very lucky in my career that I have had three
managers who have played at a very good level in football. Fabio Grosso is a World Cup winner, Alan Stubbs played for Everton in the Premier League and Neil Lennon represented Celtic in the Champions League.
“I feel fortunate to have those coaches to learn from and the manager here has been brilliant for me.
“His training, his approach to the matches, has been superb. The way he plays is the way football should be played.”
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