The 32-year-old is off to the Euros with Scotland before he returns to pre-season with the Premiership champions.
James Forrest acknowledges that life was difficult while he wasn’t at Celtic.
To be honest, there’s no assurance that when he gets back to Parkhead following the Euros, he won’t have to fight the same opponents. For the second most decorated player in club history, though, that’s all good because he hasn’t known life any other way.
The team’s victories in the Scottish Cup and Premiership were greatly aided by Forrest’s comeback in the last few weeks of the campaign.
The 32-year-old shimmered and sparkled to help secure the silverware, as his experience and ability showed through the run-in.
Compared to the stretches early in the season when he was hardly seen, this was a far cry. After Luis Palma, Yang Hyun-jun, and Marco Tilio joined the team last summer, Forrest was thrown into his most recent battle.
Nicolas Kuhn had came to maybe fill the void left by Jota and Tilio when they left Glasgow in January, along with Liel Abada.
Forrest was reportedly forced to weigh the possibility of quitting his childhood club in order to play. He said it was difficult to accept. However, he had battled for Celtic opportunities ever since joining the first team and would continue to do so.
More new players should be joining in the upcoming weeks as a result of the club’s ongoing efforts to develop.
Come season’s opening, Forrest will probably be dealing with the same situation once more. Nevertheless, that won’t be an issue. He was born with it at Parkhead.
He has the potential to establish himself as a major player again, as seen by the 24 winners’ medals he now carries. Without a doubt, Forrest is eager to take on the task and wants to remain at Celtic.
“I have always stated that I have loved working hard here and that I have loved being here,” he remarked. We have consistently brought in new players, and I don’t think I have ever felt at home here.
Our signing of so many offensive players keeps you going. As I’ve always stated, I would want to stay here as long as I can. After enjoying the Euros, I’ll return to pre-season and continue from there.
I’m still not 35 or 36, but at that period in January and February, I was fit enough to not be on squads for the first time in my career. That was tough as I knew that if I stayed, I might not be able to play elsewhere.
You yearn to play. It’s difficult to handle not getting a game on the weekend after training all week.
That one was challenging. I continued to put in a lot of effort in training every day, though, because I knew that I would get the opportunity to stay beyond January. I assisted the team without turning around once it arrived.
Forrest succeeded in doing so, and the one benefit of missing so many games during the campaign was that he was fully recovered and ready to go at the final.
As he acknowledged, “You could say that.” It’s challenging because you train for the entire week, giving each session your all and making sure you’re prepared.
Perhaps since I was back involved, I had a little bit more adrenaline and was buzzing a little bit more.
At twenty-one, Forrest trails Lisbon Lion Bobby Lennox, the club’s all-time leading medal winner with twenty-five. It’s incredible, he remarked. I don’t think too much about milestones, but it’s great that I always hear about them. It demonstrates that you are putting in effort and getting paid for it.
I have had a great time during the past few months. I wasn’t getting any game time or getting into squads around January and February.
During the past few months, I have been paying close attention to everything during games. It has been enjoyable.
After defeating Rangers in the Scottish Cup Final, Forrest won his most recent medal, which stands out as one of his most memorable of his career.
The winger went on, “It’s classy.” We haven’t faced Rangers in a cup final in a very long time.
Forrest must now make sure he is present for the 25th and beyond. “In football, you can’t look too far ahead,” he stated. It is summed up by what the last few months have demonstrated.
I had been out of the team for a few months going into January, so I wasn’t sure what the future held for me. I’m simply going to keep playing football and working hard.”
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