Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has addressed James Forrest’s Hoops absence, as reported by the Daily Record.
The Lowdown: Forrest’s absence
Forrest hasn’t been seen in a Celtic matchday squad since the 2-0 win over AZ Alkmaar in August, with Postecoglou citing a knock as the reason for his absence against St Mirren a few days later.
The 30-year-old has missed nine games, with the Hoops picking up just three wins without the winger, and it now appears that they’ll be without him for another while longer following the manager's recent comments.
The Latest: Postecoglou’s comments
Postecoglou was talking to the media, as relayed by the Daily Record, ahead of Celtic’s clash with Aberdeen at Pittodrie this afternoon.
When asked about Christopher Jullien and Forrest, the 56-year-old admitted that he was hoping the latter wouldn’t be out for ‘too long’, but it has been difficult to put a timeline on when the winger could return.
The Hoops manager said:
“They both have that experience and nous.
“That’s why it will be great to get them back because they can help us through this challenging period.
“It’s hard to say exactly when they’ll be back. Chris has been working in rehab and we’re hopeful that he’ll start team training after the international break.
“James is a bit different. He had a minor setback and we just haven’t been able to get him up and running.
“It’s difficult to have a timeline on it. My initial thoughts were he wouldn’t be too long but it’s become a bit stretched out now.
“We have to be guided by him and how the injury heals. He’s a player I felt would make a significant contribution. Obviously that hasn’t happened.”
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The Verdict: Not ideal
Postecoglou was hoping that Forrest would have made a ‘significant contribution’ under him at Parkhead, but as we know, that is yet to materialise.
He also missed a large section of the 2020/21 campaign, so this latest setback isn’t ideal for the Hoops or the Scotland international.
Hopefully he'll be able to nail down a place in the team for a long period of time and exert a major influence when he returns, but it remains to be seen when that will be.
In other news: Here's a development regarding Kyogo Furuhashi that Postecoglou and Celtic could've done without