James Forrest might be Celtic’s best player.
Brendan Rodgers has told The Record that James Forrest was on course to quit Celtic before he arrived in 2016.
Celtic won a historic treble Treble this past season and Forrest has played a massive role in all those nine trophies.
The 27-year-old picked up the Scottish Premiership Player of the Year after another superb year at Parkhead, scoring 15 goals from right wing.
He has scored 38 goals in total since Rodgers joined the Hoops three years ago. Prior to the Northern Irishman’s arrival, Forest had only managed to score six times across two seasons under Ronny Deila.
The Scotland star, who also bagged an international hat-trick last season, is a different animal these days, and Rodgers suggests that he might’ve had something to do with it.
He told The Record: “When I got to Celtic, James had only six months left on his contract and the feeling was he’d leave. He’d been inconsistent for a couple of years, in terms of his form and his training between games.
“James had the talent but the season before I arrived he’d only scored two goals. The year before that it was four. But we got him right physically then helped him mentally. He trained every day and enjoyed the work we did with him.
“You could see him developing and it was then about pushing him to be the best he could be. He got 11 goals and nine assists in the league alone last season. So in terms of efficiency, he’s played consistently now at a high level for three years.”
To his credit, Rodgers did transform the winger, who has also registered more than 30 assists over the past three seasons.
He is a phenomenal talent and one who Celtic fans will be desperate to keep.
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