Brendan Rodgers singles out James Forrest for role in Celtic victory, sheds light on his future

Celtic managed to pull off some late heroics to get themselves over the line against Livingston and progressed to the Scottish Cup semi-finals.

Daizen Maeda opened the scoring in the seventh minute following a well-timed run to spring the offside trap, sending the Bhoys on their way after taking down Nicolas Kuhn’s intelligent pick out.

Nevertheless, Daniel MacKay levelled as he managed to evade the Celtic backline, setting the tone for an entertaining afternoon of cup football at Parkhead.

Once again, Japan international Maeda diverted home to put the hosts in the lead in the midst of some pinball in the 18-yard box, capitalising on a parry from visiting goalkeeper Michael McGovern.

Early in the second half, Matt O’Riley lost possession cheaply before some excellent striker play from Tete Yengi culminated in a finish on the swivel that left Joe Hart with little chance to tie the scoring for the second time.

Brendan Rodgers’ men weren’t to be denied in the end, as Maeda capped off a fine display by tapping home from a Tomoki Iwata centre.

Kyogo Furuhashi sprung the offside trap in stoppage time to put the game beyond doubt, with James Forrest to thank following his flicked header into danger.

Rodgers admitted his side didn’t perform to their full capability, though lavished praise on the Bhoys for reaching Hampden, as he said: “Today we didn’t play well. Patches were okay. But we won and we’re into the semi-final, that makes me really happy.”

Brendan Rodgers singles out Celtic icon James Forrest’s display

Forrest was introduced in the 76th minute to replace Nicolas Kuhn on the right flank and brought a mixture of attacking impetus and experience to proceedings.

Rodgers has since offered some lofty praise to the 32-year-old in his post-match analysis; meanwhile, he also shed some light on Forrest’s future role at Parkhead amid his limited game-time of late.

Referencing his introduction against Livingston, Rodgers initially stated: [BBC Radio Sportsound]: “It gave me real satisfaction, just seeing him going in there and play, the trust with James when he looks after the ball. He’s creative, he’s bright.

“Obviously, when you have teams that are really pinned back, and you have a lot of the ball, he gives you that level of quality that you want, and he was absolutely brilliant when he came on.”

He later added when asked if Forrest could level or better Bobby Lennox’s record haul of 25 trophies at Celtic: “That all will be down to James. He’s been a brilliant servant for the club, and, of course, it’s been difficult for him the last couple of years, not playing as much as he wants.

“I’ve always said, in terms of quality and wing play, he’s our best winger, but age catches up on you, especially when you want to play an intense game. Constant running, because we’re a running team, that can be a challenge, especially as the years go on.

“You saw he can come in, he can give you that 25 minutes and add that real injection of quality that was needed, and that’s what he gave us when he came in.”

James Forrest may have an important Celtic role during run-in

Forrest is an incredibly decorated footballer who has done it all at Celtic, and his experience could prove invaluable between now and when all is said and done.

Granted, Rodgers has used him sparingly this term; however, if he can help to provide creativity and composure from the bench, then the Scotland international may still be useful during certain in-game scenarios during the run-in.

Looking ahead, it will be intriguing to see what the future holds for Forrest over the coming weeks and whether he is set to be kept around this summer.