'It's a no-brainer to take resurgent Forrest to Euros'
Suddenly James Forrest is Celtic's man of the moment, marking his first start in five months with a match-winning double at Dundee last Sunday.
He also contributed a goal off the bench in the Scottish Cup semi-final success the previous weekend and I’m surprised he hasn’t been back involved sooner and making more appearances. He’s been fit and Celtic have been having problems in the wide areas.
Brandan Rodgers recently said Forrest is the best winger in his squad – a statement I agree with – so why hasn’t he been involved more?
I’m not surprised he’s making the impact he’s making. And, without getting too carried away, the national team is suffering some injuries and the squads have been stretched to 26 players, so I think it’s a no-brainer to have him in the Scotland set-up for Euro 2024.
He makes things happen, he scores goals, he’s a good character, he’s got experience. He could even fill in as right wing-back as well.
I wouldn’t be looking for him there, I’d be looking at him as inside forward. Or, we don’t have natural width in the squad, whereas Forrest can do that.
Just for a number of reasons, it would be a sensible decision to include him. And what a fairytale end to the season that would be for him.
It’s very, very positive for Celtic that they’ve got someone like that, who almost feels like a new player for them, for the run-in as they chase a league and Scottish Cup double.
Look at last week's semi-final against Aberdeen. The wide areas were terrible. Aberdeen were brilliant at shutting Celtic down. When you’re playing against teams like that who are man to man and not giving you any time, you need guys in the wide areas that can go one-v-one, take people on and get in behind.
Forrest came on and made a difference because he has that quality to make things happen.
It’s a massive bonus for Celtic because there’s an edginess that creeps in when things are tight at this stage of the season and Forrest has got the experience and the talent.
Michael Stewart was speaking to BBC Sport Scotland's Martin Watt
