Hibs boss Neil Lennon eyes the return of Celtic whizkid Liam Henderson after his superb loan spell at Easter Road last term

The 20-year-old still has two years left on his Parkhead contract but failed to make the Hoops squad that jetted out to Kazakhstan.

And former team-mate Thomson reckons a return to Easter Road would be the best move for the popular midfielder.

He said: “As a Hibs supporter, I’d love to see Hendo back at the club this season.

“He brings something a bit different. He’s got the X-factor in the final third that sets him apart from the other midfielders at Hibs.

“He’s just a boy, but he’s already achieved a lot. The fact he’s still so young but can play the way he did last season is testament to the ability he’s got.

“He’s got drive and he wants to get to the top, so hopefully Hibs can reap the benefits of that.”

Henderson became a Hibs legend last season by marking a loan spell with a key role in the team’s Scottish Cup triumph against Rangers.

And Thomson told the Edinburgh Evening News: “He’s got great delivery, as we saw in the cup final.

“His delivery was the story of the last four to six weeks of the season because we scored a few goals from it.

“At one stage it looked like we were never going to score from a corner or a free-kick, but we were working relentlessly on set-pieces towards the end of the season and he really practised his delivery.

“There’s nothing better than seeing someone practising hard in training and then all of a sudden it comes off in a match on a Saturday.

“That was a great example of practice making perfect. He’s got a great way of getting the ball up and down.

“He can move it fast. John McGinn delivers with more power but they can both put balls in with different trajectory, which is a great asset for Hibs to have.”

Despite being only 20-years-old, the new Tranent Juniors ace says Henderson has a mature head on his shoulders.

The duo became close friends after Thomson arrived for a third spell at Easter Road following his exit from Dundee in January.

He added: “We were the oldest in the team and the youngest in the team so you probably wouldn’t have put us together, but he’s a terrific lad.

“We just hit it off straight away. We were in the same group for the warm-ups and I was in his team in training for the first week after I joined so we got pally.

“He used to watch Hibs as a boy with his grandad and I think I was one of his favourite players.

“Hibs had a great changing room last season with a lot of camaraderie and Hendo was a big part of that.

“He was a popular boy, so he’ll be a great asset if he goes back.

“I think anybody who was part of that cup final squad is always going to be highly thought of, but Hendo was terrific throughout the season.

“Even if, God forbid, the cup final hadn’t gone so well, the fans would still think highly of him, but the 21st of May was the icing on the cake.

“He had an alliance with the club from going to watch Hibs as a boy and I think you could see his determination and drive to do well whenever he played.

"They’re the type of players supporters like at their club.”