Former Celtic winger Paul Slane has raved about ex-teammate James Forrest, describing him as one of the most special players ever to come out of Scotland.
The 27-year-old also suggested that the international was destined for one of Europe’s top clubs, and that he was comparable to Eden Hazard.
Speaking on the Open Goal podcast, Slane said: “He’s one of the most special players this country’s ever produced. I really do believe that.
“Jesse Lingard at Man United? Double the player of him. Double the man of him. We go to Chelsea, Pedro? Even when Pedro was at Barcelona, Jamesie would’ve been playing ahead of him.
“Forrest is similar to a Hazard-type player. He’s just amazing, a genius, a genius mind. Nothing fazes that man.”
“With Gareth Bale, every time Spurs won, he was scoring a worldy or he was winning the game. Forrest’s in that mindset this season and my God I believe he will be at one of the best clubs in the world.”
OPINION
As far as praise goes, it doesn’t get much better than this from Paul Slane. Comparing Forrest to some of Europe’s best players seems like a mad overstatement, but the man has played with the Hoops favourite and has nothing to gain from drooling all over him. In truth, Forrest is approaching a point in his Celtic career where a big move elsewhere doesn’t seem out of the question. It’s a sad reality but there is a limit to how far a player can grow in the Scottish game, and if Forrest is serious about taking the next step towards becoming a world class player then he will have to move on sooner rather than later. The Premier League would surely be his most obvious destination, and there’s no reason to suggest that he wouldn’t thrive south of the border. This season has arguably been is most impressive yet and it would be no surprise whatsoever if one of the bigger English clubs came calling in the summer.