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Brendan Rodgers delves further into the role James Forrest could play for Celtic during run-in

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Celtic managed to overcome Livingston last weekend to reach the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup in dramatic fashion.

Despite a spirited display from the visitors, the Bhoys sealed a deserved 4-2 victory courtesy of a hat-trick from Daizen Maeda coupled with a late Kyogo Furuhashi strike.

Nevertheless, Brendan Rodgers offered hefty praised to winger James Forrest in his post-match press conference, citing the vital role he played from the bench in helping his side progress, which included the assist for Furuhashi’s late effort.

The Irishman stated: “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.”

From experience, Celtic fans know all too well that Forrest has the ability to light up Parkhead, and his outstanding record of 104 goals and 102 assists in 484 appearances for the Bhoys will stand the test of time [Transfermarkt].

Of course, the Scotland international may not be able to influence games to the degree he once could; regardless, his cameo display last Sunday reminded fans of the calming presence Forrest can bring to the table in times of need.

Looking ahead to the rest of the campaign, there is no reason to suggest that the experienced wideman won’t have some form of part to play in our ongoing battle for a domestic double.

Brendan Rodgers delves further into James Forrest’s Celtic role

Rodgers is clearly a big fan of Forrest’s talent, and went as far as to label the Prestwick-born man as the ‘best winger’ at the club in the aftermath of our victory over Livingston.

Now, the 51-year-old has given a further insight into how he could utilise Forrest moving forward, holding a belief that the veteran can help to maintain the ascendancy the Bhoys have in the latter stages of games.

Rodgers stated: [Daily Record]: “Sadly age catches up with every player – or person for that matter.

“But he still has the ability to make a contribution to the game. We saw that for 25 minutes on Sunday. You see the level of quality he has when we are sustaining the attacks and there’s maybe less running back. He’s a fantastic player and it was a joy seeing the way he kept the ball and worked it.”

There have been obvious instances of age-based changes that have altered Forrest’s ability to stretch fixtures for long periods; however, he is a quality player that can still play a part over the next nine league games.

In the run-in, Rodgers obviously believes he can still make a telling contribution, and he may well be required to perform if our bad luck with injuries continues to persist.

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