Celtic fans will be acutely aware that Scotland were knocked out of EURO 2024 last night following their last-gasp defeat to Hungary in Stuttgart.
Despite going into a must-win game, the Tartan Army amassed one shot on target courtesy of Grant Hanley in stoppage time, turning in a toothless attacking performance devoid of any creative intuition.
Steve Clarke tried to change it up by throwing on Stuart Armstrong, Lewis Morgan, Ryan Christie, Lawrence Shankland and Kenny McLean, though none of them made the desired impact or stretched the game enough.
You probably know where I’m going with this. There is cause for James Forrest to count himself unfortunate not just because of his omission last night but across the whole tournament.
James Forrest’s non-involvement for Scotland
It has to be remembered that Forrest earned his slot on the plane due to his exploits at the end of last campaign after spending much of the year on the periphery at Celtic.
Overall, the 32-year-old finished 2023/24 with seven goals and two assists in 28 appearances, netting three times in four matches across the run-in [Transfermarkt].
Yet, despite Scotland desperately lacking width and pushing for late winners against Switzerland and Hungary, the Celtic veteran wasn’t utilised as an impact substitute in either fixture, with other options favoured.
Both matches on paper were winnable games; however, Clarke didn’t shuffle his pack in the Switzerland encounter until the dying embers, unwilling to risk a point slipping through his grasp at a crucial stage.
Nevertheless, Scotland’s attack was badly lacking width and the ability to beat a man against Hungary. The most experienced creator in their squad was left to watch on once again, making many question why he was brought along in the first place.
Granted, he may not have the stamina to last for 90 minutes or to operate in a demanding right wing-back role; regardless, with 15 or 20 minutes left to play, he may just have fashioned something on either flank if given a chance to shine.
Either way, Celtic’s contingent at EURO 2024 will now depart and enjoy a well-deserved break before reporting for club duties later in pre-season.