Former Celtic midfielder Shaun Maloney is “not surprised” at how well current Hoops man James Forrest has performed this season.
Forrest has been recognised for being a key figure for the Bhoys this term, scooping the Scottish PFA Player of the Year award after scoring 18 goals and providing 20 assists in 56 appearances in all competitions.
Speaking to The Herald, Maloney – who is now the assistant Belgium manager and played alongside Forrest for two seasons while at Parkhead – said that his former teammate is finally earning the plaudits he deserves.
“I am not surprised about how much James has developed. He is not just fast but a really good passer of the ball, too. He is now getting the recognition he deserves,” Maloney said.
“I actually don’t think James really got the credit before that his play deserved. James has had an amazing season for club and country. A really talented player.”
OPINION
Maloney is bang on here. Forrest has been getting better and better over the last few seasons and it is only now when his performances have been getting real recognition with awards being handed out. In the Scottish Premiership, he has been outstanding this term, scoring 11 goals and providing 12 assists in 30 games. But if you look at his previous statistics, you can see how Forrest has slowly been developing into the player he has been for Celtic this season. In the 2015/16 campaign, he scored twice and set up two other goals in 19 Premiership games. The following season, he netted six times and assisted seven others in the league. In the 2017/18 term – overall – he scord 17 goals and laid on 10 strikes before this season, he has developed again and now he really is a key part of this Celtic side and will definitely be the same next term in Neil Lennon’s first season back at the helm.