It is no secret that Celtic have endured a nightmare season. With 10IAR up for grabs, there were huge hopes that the club would go on to make history. Reality has been very different though, as they have stumbled from one failure to another through the course of the season, leaving them out of all cup competitions and 18 points behind the Rangers in the Premiership table.
And while there is no excuse for how poorly they have performed, one cannot overlook the ill-timed injuries that some of the club’s top stars have endured.
Both James Forrest and Christopher Jullien have been sidelined for most of the season. And while the Frenchman will surely miss the rest of the season, hopes were high that Forrest would be back on the pitch soon after being sidelined since September with an ankle problem that forced him to undergo surgery.
It looks like the winger has suffered another setback in his quest to return to the pitch. Neil Lennon confirmed the news, as reported by Glasgow Live:
"“In terms of a timescale, he (Forrest) had a wee bit of a setback on his rehab so we’re just sort of keeping an eye on it and scrutinising it as closely as we can.“We want him to come back right and fresh and hit the ground running because he’s been out for a long time and it’s a real body blow for him and us.“I can’t give you a timescale but it shouldn’t be too far in the distant future. We’re hoping he can begin training next week and if that’s the case he might need a week or two to get adjusted to the training sharpness and the cardio work that’s involved with that and then you’ll see him in the squad again.”"
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Celtic have missed Forrest badly
It is safe to say that Celtic have felt the absence of Forrest on the pitch. While there have been complaints about him being out of form over the past several seasons, it is safe to say that he is one of the most effective players that the club have.
Since the start of 2018/19, Forrest has scored 36 goals and provided 43 assists. That is 79 goal contributions in a little over two seasons from right-wing, and at times wing-back. Those are staggering numbers that the Hoops have failed to replace and it has clearly shown on the results.
With this season as good as over when it comes to challenging for titles, one can only hope that Forrest can recover fully from his injury and return in the best shape possible to provide those kind of numbers once again in the 2021/2022 season.