Celtic winger James Forrest has handed the club a major boost over his future after confirming that he wants to stay with the club for as long as possible as he heads into the final year of his contract.
The 27-year-old, who has worked his way up through the Parkhead youth ranks since joining as a nine-year-old, has a deal which is set to expire next summer, which would see him become a free agent, but has insisted that his future lies in the green and white hoops.
Speaking to the Scottish Sun, he said: “I’ve been here since I was nine. I think as you get older you really do appreciate it more and I just want to keep working hard and be here for as long as I can — that’s what I want.”
Forrest, who has 22 caps for Scotland, has continued his fine form from last season into the current campaign, scoring two goals and providing five assists across three Champions League qualifiers.
Opinion
This is brilliant news for Brendan Rodgers, who will be hoping that Forrest remains part of his plans for the foreseeable future. The Scottish winger is a lethal threat up front, and when he is not scoring goals – with 17 strikes last season – he is setting them up, contributing 10 during the last campaign. He is already off to an absolute flyer and if he can continue to terrorise defences in the way he has done so far, the Hoops are in for another season of success. Tying him down should only be a formality, for the club undoubtedly want to keep him while he seems desperate to stay at his boyhood club. The only thing that would see him leave would be a mega money bid from elsewhere, but for now, he seems perfectly settled at Parkhead. Whether that changes any time soon remains to be seen, but for now fans should be losing no sleep over his future.