Tannadice Park, Dundee, Scotland, Britain - May 11, 2022. Celtic's James Forrest arrives ahead of the match.
BBC pundit Alan Hutton has hailed Celtic forward James Forrest for his ‘incredible’ career in the Scottish Premiership.
The Lowdown: Instant impact
The 31-year-old has only made seven appearances this season, with Ange Postecoglou having favoured Liel Abada in the final third.
This had led to some reports of frustration in the Forrest camp, with some in the media believing he may be upset with the lack of playing time.
However, the winger netted a hat-trick in the Hoops’ emphatic 6-1 victory over Hibernian last weekend, taking him up to 100 goals for the Glasgow outfit, which earned plenty of praise from his manager.
The Latest: Hutton’s praise for Forrest
Asked by Football Insider whether Forrest would be given a run in Celtic’s starting XI over Abada thanks to his impressive performances, Hutton said:
“It is good competition.
“I agree that he will go down as one of the Celtic greats. What he has done since he broke into the team, from appearances to goals, is quite incredible. He has proved it year after year.
“It has obviously been difficult this season with injuries and Abada playing well. But you want your full team to be competing against each other. That is the only way you get better.
“There is obviously an opportunity for him to go in and play. Obviously after a hat-trick you would like to think he deserves another opportunity in the coming games but I am sure the likes of Abada will have something to say about that as well.“
The Verdict: Opportunity deserved
Forrest is a Parkhead veteran, and he more than deserves to maintain his place in the match-day squad given the impression he’s made of late.
The Prestwick-born talent already has three goals and one assist to his name in seven outings across all competitions this campaign, and has made an outstanding 127 contributions in 264 career league games.
Forrest has been hampered by injuries, but being back at full fitness, he is now starting to show Postecoglou how much of an integral player he can be, and he will certainly keep Abada on his toes.
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