Mansfield Town announced the acquisition of Regan Hendry from Tranmere Rovers this morning, with the 27-year-old joining on a two-year deal following the expiration of his contract.

Nigel Clough’s restructuring process has already sprung to life with former Mansfield centre-back, Ryan Sweeney, reuniting with the Stags – the Englishman will now be joined at the One Call Stadium (Field Mill) by Hendry following an interrupted but impressive campaign with Tranmere.

Last Season’s Talking Points

Hendry, despite only appearing 26 times in Rovers’ League Two campaign, offered valuable performances which culminated in seven goal contributions from central midfield in a fairly poor outfit.

An extremely unfortunate injury between early November and the end of February saw the Scot miss out on a significant portion of Tranmere’s fixtures this season. This was a notable absence in midfield considering both Hendry’s 45 league appearances the season prior as well as his immediate inclusion upon full return in March.

This return saw Hendry open up on the spell being the ‘hardest point’ in his career. However, since returning to League Two’s 20th-placed finishers, the 27-year-old has helped steer his side clear from relegation to the National League with the highest average match rating of any Tranmere player. Consequently, this has led to the Stags poaching the midfielder for a League One step-up.

Valuable Experience Acquired

A career spanning over two countries and four leagues so far has given Hendry a range of experience level within the English and Scottish football pyramids. The highest standard of which has already been in League One with Forest Green Rovers during their 2022/23 season.

The midfielder has amassed 163 appearances in English domestic competitions but graduated through Celtic’s prestigious academy before enduring a three-year spell with Raith Rovers until 2021.

Mansfield will be excited to bolster their midfield options with this signing and will hope Hendry’s form post-injury translates into the higher division next season.

When interviewed by the club media team following his signature, the midfielder highlighted his playing style as, liking:

“To get on the ball and create things up the pitch and get the team playing.”

Clough also offered his role intentions for Hendry next season by adding:

“He’s an all-round midfield player, who can play two or three different roles and will complement the midfielders who we already have in the squad.

Writer’s View

This is an underrated piece of business for the Stags. With the acquisition of such an experienced player resulting in a free deal, there is ultimately nothing to lose for Clough’s League One hopefuls. That being said, Hendry offers a wealth of talent anyway in dictating the tempo of a midfield system while looking to impress in League One once more.

As it stands, after last campaign’s performances, a promising quadruple of Hendry, Keanu Baccus, Louis Reed and Aaron Lewis could be built upon as a core unit in the midfield by Clough ahead of next season.