Celtic winger James Forrest won his 39th cap for Scotland on Monday evening, three years after his 38th.
He was named in Steve Clarke’s starting eleven in a 2-0 win away to Gibraltar, earning a spot in the team after fine late-season form for the Bhoys.
The winger scored a burst of five goals in an eight-game spell for the champions after being thrust back into the spotlight by Brendan Rodgers.
Efforts against Aberdeen and Dundee were particularly crucial, helping Celtic push towards a league and cup double.
He has been selected in Clarke’s provisional squad for the upcoming EURO 2024 tournament in Germany and got a chance to prove himself in tonight’s friendly.
James Forrest’s left-wing role vs Gibraltar
The Celtic star lined up on the left-hand side of the Scottish attack with Lawrence Shankland playing through the middle and Ryan Christie on the opposite flank.
That’s unlikely to be how Scotland shape up in terms of formation when the tournament begins but Clarke was using this one as an exercise to maintain fitness and experiment a little.
Gibraltar aren’t the strongest of opponents – ranked 203rd in the world – so it was a big disappointment to see Scotland struggle for goals in the first half, despite creating lots of chances.
Forrest’s big moment came in the 12th minute when Andy Robertson’s fine work resulted in a cutback for the Celtic man that could have easily resulted in a goal, but his shot went past the left post. A failure to take opportunities was the story of Scotland’s first hour.
He had four shots in total, two off-target and two blocked by the opposition. Just one of his four attempted dribbles was successful while he came out on top in just three of his 10 duels.
Pitched forward in attack, he didn’t need to be very involved defensively given Scotland’s dominant possession. Clarke freshened up the team in the 66th minute, subbing Forrest off for Che Adams.
His side were already 1-0 up by that point through Ryan Christie, with Forrest nicely involved in the build-up, while Adams eventually netted Scotland’s second.
Forrest will want to offer Scotland more
Overall, Forrest’s end product was lacking and he’ll be eager to show more if given minutes against Finland on Friday. But it wasn’t the most high-intensity game – the Scotland team were flat as a whole. He has more to offer.
Forrest’s best role at the Euros may well be as an impact substitute rather than a starter, coming into matches and changing the patterns of Scotland’s attack when required. In that sense, tonight didn’t tell us much.
This summer still holds promise for him, even if his return to the international scene wasn’t exactly box office.