I’m gutted I couldn’t help him in hour of need
INJURY-HIT FORREST SAD TO SEE MENTOR DEPART
JAMES Forrest admits he was ‘gutted’ by his inability to help Neil Lennon keep his job as Celtic manager. The Scotland winger returned from a five-month lay-off in the 0-0 draw with Dundee United which gift-wrapped a first Premiership title in ten years for arch-rivals Rangers.
A mainstay of the Lennon era, Forrest hasn’t played since a 1-0 win in Riga last September and went under the surgeon’s knife for an ankle operation two months later.
His absence deprived the Parkhead side of natural width, goals and assists. Under intense pressure during a season of relentless woe, Lennon finally called time on his second spell in charge last month.
‘I was gutted obviously,’ said Forrest. ‘He was my first manager and brought me through from the reserves.
‘He had a great spell here the first time and then he came back and it started off so well.
‘In the last few months I didn’t get to play under him with being out injured.
‘It’s been a hard time for everyone, but I was gutted to see him go and I wish him all the best.
‘I’ve had a lot of different managers, a lot of different times at the club and most of it has been successful with positivity and highs.
‘I know it’s difficult just now, but everyone has to try and stay positive and make sure we are all together.’
John Kennedy remains interim boss until the end of the season, with Celtic talking to prospective candidates both in Britain and abroad for the permanent role.
At 29, Forrest has seen Parkhead managers come and go and now plans to hone his form and fitness in preparation for the next one after making his first-team return at Tannadice.
‘I was absolutely delighted to get some minutes,’ he told Celtic TV.
‘I can’t even describe how it felt. It’s been such a long time. I was delighted to be back training with the boys over the last ten days or so and get back out on the pitch and trying to help the boys. It was a great feeling and I just want to keep continuing my comeback, get more training under my belt and, hopefully, get more games as well.
‘It was really tough to not be involved. With all the protocols, I’ve had to watch most of the games on Celtic TV.
‘You feel like an outsider and you want to be there constantly. It makes you want to work harder to get back as quickly as possible.’
After Forrest had his operation last November, Covid restrictions and closed-door games combined to make his rehabilitation an isolated experience at times.
‘The hardest part was just after my operation,’ he said. ‘I would be in Lennoxtown at different times from the rest of the boys. There were a lot of away games at the time and their days off were different from mine, so I went a good couple of months not seeing much of them.
‘There were a lot of times where it was just me and one other physio. As it went on and I started training outside, I was in amongst the team more. That made me feel a lot better and keeps you going through your rehab.
‘Credit to the staff here, they’ve been there for me every day. They’ve been on it every day and there weren’t too many other injuries in the squad so the physios invested a lot of time in helping me and getting me back.
‘It was towards the end of December that I was ready to start running again outside.
‘It was simple things as well, like being in the gym at the same time as the rest of the boys. I felt more a part of it from then. That helps and lifts your mood.
‘A lot of the other boys have had injuries in their careers and have been good with me and made me still feel a part of it.’
Caretaker boss Kennedy admits the winger’s return is a boost to hopes of Celtic finishing the season by retaining the Scottish Cup.
‘It’s been a difficult one for James in terms of where he has been at,’ he said.
‘He had a long period in the team and a long time without injuries, so it was a setback for him, but he has dealt with that very well.
‘On a personal level, he has committed to the process of returning and is now at that stage where he has been on the pitch now, which is good.
‘Great credit to him coming through what was a difficult period for everyone.
‘All we can ask of him now is that real commitment.
‘When you first come back into training and the first game when you’ve been out so long, it’s very much about feeling your way back in and getting comfortable in the environment again and getting your fitness up.
‘James has now done a lot of work to put himself at that point — and now it’s just the consistency and training on a daily basis and putting in the performances we know he is capable of.’
Celtic, meanwhile, are competing with West Ham to tie up a pre-contract agreement for Rochdale winger Kwadwo Baah.
The 18-year-old is out of contract this summer and saw a move to Manchester City break down.
Celtic have already completed a pre-contract deal for Sheffield Wednesday’s Liam Shaw and have tracked left winger Baah after three goals and two assists in 22 appearances in his breakthrough season.
IT hasn’t been easy, but remember the name. Amad Diallo Traore. Or is it Amad Diallo? Or just plain Amad? Take your pick but make no mistake, this boy is a player.
You would expect so, after Manchester United committed the thick end of £40million to bring the Ivorian from Atalanta in January. Last night at Old Trafford, Diallo showed why.
The 18-year-old winger had been on the pitch for less than five minutes as a half-time substitute for Anthony Martial when he celebrated his first senior goal for United, becoming the club’s fourth-youngest scorer in Europe.
It wasn’t enough to give Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side an advantage going into the second leg of this Europa League last-16 tie at the San Siro next week and, frankly, they didn’t deserve one.
Solskjaer was frustrated by the way United allowed Milan to grab a potentially crucial late away goal.
‘We dropped too deep in the box so the structure, there’s a yard or two deep from everyone, really,’ Solskjaer said of the equaliser. ‘Of course you’re always disappointed to concede a goal in that manner.
‘Disappointed but then again that can happen. I’ve been part of a team that’s scored in injury time in Europe myself on a set-play.
‘We know we have to travel there and score a goal and win the game, or score two and draw.’
AC Milan were the slicker of the two teams, they had twice as many shots on goal and merited their equaliser courtesy of Simon Kjaer’s header in the second minute of added time that Dean Henderson should have kept out.
Maybe the Italians should have been more aware of Diallo given his background in Serie A, even though he has long since stopped using Traore and prefers to go by Amad these days.
When Bruno Fernandes clipped a ball into the box in the 50th minute, Diallo darted in between Fikayo Tomori, on loan from Chelsea, and Diogo Dalot, on loan from United.
Gianluigi Donnarumma raced out of his goal and Diallo knew it, even though he had his back to goal. He jumped to meet the ball with a flick of his head, sending it over Donnarumma and into the empty net.
‘I think the pass was incredible,’ Solskjaer said of Fernandes’ quickly-taken free-kick.
‘I think the pass more or less made the goal, the keeper’s position as well. The flick is probably the only thing he can do and he should do. But perfect timing, perfect little weight on the flick. Great moment for the kid.’
It would have been nice if this was Diallo’s night, but that would also have been an injustice to Milan who were excellent, despite being without former United favourite Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Mario Mandzukic and Ante Rebic among others.
Like United, the seven-time champions of Europe have seen better days. They are second in Serie A but have not won the Scudetto in a decade, and a sixthplace finish last season meant they entered the Europa League in the second qualifying round.
But Stefano Pioli’s side played their part in an entertaining game, even if it wasn’t quite the de facto Champions League tie Solskjaer talked about.
It says everything about how well the Italians started — and how sluggish United were — that they had the ball in the net twice in the opening 11 minutes.
The first was a no-brainer. Rafael Leao was clearly offside when he raced onto a long ball to score.
The second incident was a much closer call, however. Davide Calabria found Franck Kessie with a short throw-in and, for some reason, United stood off the Ivorian. First Nemanja Matic, then Scott McTominay and Harry Maguire. Kessie controlled the ball and sent a dipping right-foot volley beyond Henderson from the edge of the area.
No question this time. Or was there? United were about to kick off again when VAR alerted Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic to the fact that ball had hit Kessie’s left arm. It hadn’t. Replays showed that it brushed his hip at worst.
Credit to Milan, they didn’t moan. They got their heads down and continued to make United look distinctly uncomfortable four days after that commanding display in the Manchester derby.
Maguire was guilty of a quite astonishing miss seven minutes before half-time. Fernandes flicked on Alex Telles’s corner and Donnarumma was able to get the faintest fingertip to the ball as it arched to the back post. Maguire was waiting, the goal gaping. From a matter of inches out, he somehow turned the ball against the post and it looped back across goal to where it had come from.
The only consolation for Maguire was that Diallo succeeded where he couldn’t five minutes after the restart.
Milan still looked the slicker of the two teams, though, and should really have equalised in the 64th minute when Calabria picked out Krunic’s run into the box with an excellent cross but the Bosnian’s powerful header lacked accuracy.
But Milan didn’t give up and Kjaer snatched a deserved equaliser in the dying seconds. Krunic swung over a corner from the left and Kjaer was able to get his head on it.
Was there enough power on it to beat Henderson? The goalkeeper will be disappointed that he wasn’t able to do more than help the ball on its way into the net as his hopes of a tenth clean sheet in 16 games disappeared.
MANCHESTER UNITED (4-2-3-1): Henderson 6; Wan-Bissaka 6 (Williams 74), Bailly 6, Maguire 5, Telles 6; McTominay 6, Matic 5; Greenwood 6, Fernandes 7 (Fred 74), James 6 (Shaw 74); Martial 5 (Diallo 46). Subs not used: Bishop, Lindelof, Grant, Tuanzebe, Shoretire. Booked: McTominay. Man of the match: Bruno Fernandes. Referee: Slavko Vincic.