HUNGER JAMES

Quality in attack at Paradise is what gives Forrest an appetite to keep going when others have long since departed

FORREST believes the top-level strikers he has played alongside throughout nine in a row have lifted his career.

The Celtic winger forged partnerships with the likes of Gary Hooper and Anthony Stokes in the beginning to the current duo of Odsonne Edouard and Leigh

Griifiths.

Forrest (right) has also worked in tandem with talents such as Lyon hitman Moussa Dembele and Greek ace Georgios Samaras during his decade with the champions and feels each of them has offered something to boost his own game.

The 28-year-old said: “I have been fortunate enough to play with many good strikers during my time at Celtic and they all help you in different ways to get better.

“Hooper and Stokes were great players and they had a real understanding. They used to link together really well.

“Samaras was a player who could do lots of things and you look at the amount of goals that Griff has scored since signing for Celtic, it’s fantastic.

“Even in the past couple of years I’ve heard and seen quite a few people trying to compare Moussa (left) with Odsonne.

“You can’t really do it because, although they play in the same position, they are different players.

“Obviously, Moussa did so well at Celtic and is doing so again at Lyon, while Odsonne has been brilliant for us. Moussa was powerful and quick while Odsonne likes the ball to feet and his link-up play is superb.

“The one thing that you would say about every single one of those strikers is that they are all topclass finishers who could score all types of different goals.

“I certainly would not like to be the manager who had to pick one or two out of those guys.”

Forrest was on fire again through last season and, with 16 goals to his name before Covid-19 brought a premature end to the term.

He admits it was former gaffer Brendan Rodgers who sparked the scoring.

Forrest said: “Rodgers wanted the goals spread out – you cannot rely on one player to score all of the goals.”