Celtic Manager Brendan Rodgers has revealed that the Hoops have received a major boost with one player returning to training yesterday.
With James Forrest missing since the Premier Sports Cup final on December 15th after a knock he suffered coming off the bench in extra time, the Celtic veteran has been out for an extended period, slightly longer than Rodgers had previously hoped at the time.
However, despite taking slightly longer to recover from injury, Forrest won’t play any part against Dundee United tomorrow afternoon at Celtic Park, with Bayern Munich on Tuesday still considered too soon.
This means the Scottish winger will instead be in contention for next Saturday’s game against Hibernian at Easter Road.
With Rodgers discussing the timeline for Forrest’s return with the media at his pre-match press conference this afternoon.
He said: (RecordSport), “James took his first day on the pitch yesterday. So he’s starting to move and jog. So hopefully in the coming weeks, he’ll be coming back.
“I said to him he came alive at this time last season. In February and March, he came and saved the day. He’s a brilliant player, and he made a great contribution at the beginning of the season for us as well.
“Maybe it’s the cold weather, he’s getting a bit older now and he doesn’t like the winter! But no, he’ll be a great addition when he comes back. Tuesday will be a bit early for him though. He’s nowhere near that. He’s just planted his foot out on the grass yesterday for the first time. So it’s going to be a few weeks yet.”
If Forrest is unable to play a part against Hibernian in 8 days’ time, it won’t be long until he could feature again, with Celtic in action just 3 days later against Aberdeen at Celtic Park.
With Rodgers announcing earlier today that Paulo Bernardo will be out for around 4 to 5 weeks with injury, Forrest’s return couldn’t come at a better time. With greater depth out wide, it could mean Daizen Maeda featuring more up top, with Jota and Forrest as potential options on the left.
Celtic’s midfield does look to be weaker in Bernardo’s absence; however, with Forrest set to return to full fitness over the next fortnight, the Hoops now look stronger in wide areas, with Jota also having re-joined Celtic in January.
His name is James Forrest , not Forrest .
Anyone notice the improvement hung yan the young south Korean he came on against bayern and just ran at them i don’t know if he will get an assist for the goal he coming on this last month