Celtic winger James Forrest has been producing moments of magic for the club ever since he broke through to the senior set-up in 2010.
The Scotland international has endured a difficult few years due to injury; nevertheless, he made a real impact in the second half of 2023/24 after Brendan Rodgers brought him into the fold.
Per Transfermarkt, Forrest registered seven goals and laid on two more in 28 appearance across all competitions. This is made even more impressive by the fact he only started eight matches during the entirety of the campaign.
Now sitting on 109 strikes and 103 assists for Celtic, the 32-year-old is a bonafide legend in these parts, having always found a way to contribute under several different managers.
Following his late burst in form, Forrest managed to secure a place on the plane as Scotland aim to make waves at EURO 2024.
Despite encountering ups and downs, ability never wavers, and the Lennoxtown graduate has earned another shot at international destiny after a three-year exile.
Neil Lennon’s special praise for Celtic winger James Forrest
Former Celtic manager Neil Lennon has always been a big admirer of Forrest, which is understandable due to his excellent performances under the Lurgan-born man over his two spells in the Parkhead dugout.
Speaking on the Scottish Football Podcast, the 52-year-old has revealed the winger could’ve earned a high-profile move to the Premier League earlier down the road due to his exploits.
He also lavished praise on his professionalism, stating: “For me, class is permanent, form is temporary. He’s always had the class, from when he was 18 years of age. The thing is with James, he’s never on social media, you never hear about him being in bother. He’s the first one in with McGregor and Taylor and even Brown when he was there, (he’s a) quiet boy, (he) does his talking on the pitch, but he is class.”
“He could’ve went a long time ago to the Premier League. I loved him as a young player; he was so dynamic. The beauty of James is he’s proficient with both feet, and he had that dynamism to get away from people. He’s a brilliant finisher, and not only that, he scores big goals in big games.
Lennon finished, saying: “I was talking about him earlier on in the season trying to find out why he wasn’t playing and I saw some of the other wingers in the team that were practically underperforming. I think it took him a bit of time to convince Brendan he was ready for it again, but the impact he had for Celtic was huge in the past six weeks. I think that was really really pivotal in them getting over the line.”
James Forrest is a brilliant asset for Celtic to have available
In a world where one-club men are becoming a rarity, Forrest is the gift that keeps on giving for Celtic and you get the impression there is more to come from him yet.
Without his renaissance in the latter stages of 2023/24, the Bhoys’ double-winning success under Rodgers would’ve been much harder to achieve. Despite more memorable matches this campaign, his double away to Dundee to grant his side a pivotal 2-1 victory has to go down as a standout highlight.
While the wait for Celtic to return goes on, Forrest has a chance to make himself a hero for Scotland in Germany. Nobody would put it past him, given his level of big-game experience.