Kilmarnock attacker Kris Boyd heaped praise on Celtic midfielder James Forrest after the 27-year-old was named PFA Scotland Player of the Year.
Boyd revealed that he thought Forrest had been excellent this season and shared that he hadn’t always excelled at the Hoops in his opinion.
The Killie forward claimed that Forrest had taken his game to another level under Brendan Rodgers and that previously Celtic fans were left asking “what does he do?” as they couldn’t work him out.
“James Forrest for me yeah, Callum McGregor or Alfredo Morelos but y’know I said at the time Morelos’ suspensions probably ended his opportunity but yeah take nothing away from Forrest he has been excellent even more since Rodgers came through the door,” said Boyd on Sky Sports News (Monday May 6th, 13:51).
“He took his game to another level and I think Celtic fans now accept him, I think maybe before they were like what does he do? Does he go past a man or that final ball wasn’t there and he wasn’t getting that final shot away to get goals.
“But he’s doing all of that now.
“He’s been excellent this season so thoroughly deserves player of the year.”
OPINION
Celtic fans weren’t always on board with Forrest but they always seem to know what he was trying to do. The only problem was more often not he didn’t achieve his task. Yet in recent seasons Forrest has evolved to be a more complete player and Boyd is probably right to credit Rodgers’ influence. It can’t be a coincidence that when the Northern Irish boss rocked up at the Hoops that Forrest was able to improve. While Rodgers was clearly a positive influence on Forrest’s form, it’s good to see that the manager’s exit hasn’t derailed his season. The 27-year-old has kept up his good form under Neil Lennon as his recent displays have been impressive. Also it’s worth noting that it’s no surprise that Forrest ended up winning the PFA Scotland Player of the Year award as his stats for this season speak for themselves. The 27-year-old has scored 17 goals, while assisting 20 across 55 outings.