McLeish: Celtic have not been able to cope without ‘phenomenal’ Forrest and this is why
Celtic were not able to cope with the loss of “phenomenal” James Forrest to injury this season.
That is according to ex-Scotland manager Alex McLeish, who explained to Football Insider, how much of an impact the “amazing” 29-year-old’s absence had on the Bhoys.
Forrest has missed over five months of action as a result of an ankle injury that required surgery.
He started the season in fine form, scoring twice in the Hoops’ opening seven league games before being sidelined.
He made his first appearance since September on Sunday as a substitute against Dundee United.
McLeish admitted he thought Celtic would cope with Forrest’s absence but insisted he had been a bigger loss than expected.
“Don’t forget, they missed one of the best players in Scotland for the whole season so far – James Forrest,” McLeish told Football Insider’s Russell Edge.
“You remember what he did for me in that Scotland game against Israel. It was a phenomenal hat trick. James has been a big loss to Celtic.
“It’s amazing. You would say: ‘James Forrest isn’t going to be in the team but we’ll be alright.’ However, you see what can happen when you lose a key member of a well-oiled machine.”
A graduate of the Hoops’ academy, Forrest has played 406 times across all competitions for Celtic.
He will now be pushing for a place in Steve Clarke’s Scotland squad for the upcoming European Championships this summer.
In other news, John Collins tipped to secure excellent signings after Celtic return confession.