LUKE Hendrie has not been given his shot at City because of the family name.

Dad John insisted his own legendary status with the club had no sway in the defender’s half-season loan switch from Burnley.

Hendrie joins the squad at Walsall after being signed as competition for right back Tony McMahon.

But John Hendrie stressed that City snapped up the 22-year-old on merit and not because of his own close ties with Stuart McCall and head of recruitment Greg Abbott.

He said: “This is not one bit to do with me. It was done between the two clubs.

“It could have been Joe Bloggs’ son, not John Hendrie’s. I’d not even spoken to Stuart about Luke.

“I only talked to Greg after the initial contact from the clubs.

“Luke knows people will obviously have expectation levels. He could have taken the easy option and gone elsewhere because there was other interest.

“But the bottom line is that he’s a City fan. As soon as their interest was known, his eyes lit up because he’s a supporter.”

Hendrie has made over 50 appearances since spending pre-season on trial with Phil Parkinson in 2015. He was a regular on loan at Kilmarnock last term and is backing himself to earn a place.

His dad said: “Luke’s not just come here for a holiday. He wants to prove himself and get into the team.

“He’s more developed both physically and mentally than he was when he was here before. He’s knows the game a lot more.

“Scotland was really good for him. His defending came on miles last year in the Scottish Premier League.

“He was playing against seasoned pros and at places like Ibrox, Parkhead and Aberdeen. You gain from that.

“He’s played in front of 50,000 at Parkhead and he can handle the situation, so big crowds will be nothing new to him.”

Hendrie had a run-out in City’s behind-closed-doors game at Notts County on Tuesday. He had previously played five full games for Burnley over pre-season so is up to speed.

John Hendrie is confident he can make the most of the move for himself and the club.

He said: “Luke has got a very good attitude, he’s a scholar of the game and has got his head screwed on. He’s not come in with rose-tinted glasses.”