Brendan Rodgers refuses to give up on Celtic player

Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers recently came out in defence of one of his players and confirmed that he still has a part to play in the team’s story this season. It is widely expected that the Hoops will look to part ways with a player or two in January due to the size of the squad. Whether that’s on permanent or loan deals remains to be seen.

But one player still has the backing of the Celtic manager following a promising cameo in what was a disappointing game against Hibernian at Easter Road at the weekend. That is none other than James Forrest.

Forrest has made over 450 appearances for the Hoops since joining the youth setup all the way back in 2002. And he has been highly productive since making his first-team debut in 2009.

Forrest also has over 100 goals and 100 assists for the Parkhead club. Jimmy Johnstone and Henrik Larsson are the only others to achieve that feat. And Rodgers believes there is still more to come, despite some fans calling for new faces to be prioritised before him.

Rodgers refuses to give up on Celtic player

The Scottish international has been used rarely this season. But he continues to have the backing of Rodgers. As reported by the Daily Record, the Celtic manager said:

"“Listen, we understand the modern world and the want for shiny new things. But I’m not going to throw guys to the garbage who I know are still very, very good players and who can make an impact for us. And James came in and did really well. He is 32 but we did tests the other week and he’s still my quickest winger.“He’s up there with Daizen Maeda, believe it or not, in terms of sheer speed. He might not be able to do it as much, or for prolonged periods of the game. But his actual football is still outstanding – and he can come in and impart the game.”"

Forrest has always been one of the quickest players on the pitch, but at the age of 32, it is understandable that most people thought he’d lost half a step. Considering how quick Maeda is that is quite a remarkable stat.

Rodgers did add context that at his age Forrest can’t sustain that kind of speed for as long as he used to, but the Celtic boss believes that he can still impact the game when brought on. He almost won it against Hibernian but struck the crossbar.

Forrest may not be the player he once was, but it’s far too early to be calling time on his career at Celtic. He has been given a start against St Mirren and let’s see if he can affect the game.