James has been unbelievable for this club for a long time. He’s entitled to a bad couple of days

CELTIC MANAGER JUMPS TO THE DEFENCE OF FORREST AFTER ‘UNFAIR’ CRITICISM

NEIL LENNON might as well have phoned Barcelona to invite Lionel Messi on loan to the English Championship when the then Bolton Wanderers manager approached Celtic about the availability of James Forrest.

The emphatically negative response from the club was, after all, destined to be the same in either case.

Forrest was hardly in the form of his life at the time, during the 2015/16 season. Ronny Deila was frustrated by the winger’s frequent muscle injuries and there was an impasse over a new contract.

But still Celtic and Forrest stayed inseparable. Five years on, now in his 10th full campaign, there is no wish for a potential parting of the ways to ever crop up again.

Certainly not when Lennon, the man who handed Forrest his debut almost a decade ago, is back leading the team to trophies and the multiple medal-winning man is secure on a deal until the summer of 2023.

The only thing to shatter another season of high achievement was — shock, horror — an off day that attracted considerable criticism.

Celtic supporters venting in the aftermath of the December 29 home defeat to Rangers turned their guns on one of their own. Forrest was in the line of fire for an ineffectual display on the big stage.

Lennon supposes it was only newsworthy on account of its rarity. And under the strict rule that Scottish talent becomes the natural soft target for blame when there’s a bad time needing explained away, all of Forrest’s excellence was forgotten for a moment.

‘People have such short memories, I guess,’ sighed Lennon. ‘He just sets a really high standard. He’s entitled to a bad couple of days now and again but I don’t think he gets cut the same slack as others do sometimes.

‘You have to remember he’s 28, but he’s achieved so much. I always think homegrown players get it a little bit more, for some reason.

‘He’d played a lot of games, that absolutely has to take its toll at some point.

‘Look at his record in Rangers games anyway — I’d say it was pretty good. The amount of wins, goals and assists.

‘All right, he didn’t have one of his better games but we make too big an issue of it at times, we really do. And, I’m sorry, but that’s really unfair on a player who has been absolutely unbelievably good for this club for a long time.

‘He’s a big-game player and played so many great games for us. I just think he’s a magnificent footballer and a magnificent kid. I’ve got a great relationship with him and long may it continue.’

Forrest took his season’s tally to 15 with the team’s second in a 3-0 victory at St Johnstone on Wednesday, only two goals shy of his club haul of 17 last term.

Lennon has urged him to go and beat that total out of sight, an aim all the more achievable by playing in a team bursting with attacking accomplices to assist.

Celtic became the first club team in Europe to boast a plus-50 goal difference in their top-flight league this season thanks to the midweek win and will be looking to augment those figures at Hamilton today.

Forrest settled the contest with the game’s only goal when the sides met at the Fountain of Youth Stadium back in September and he has already bounced right back to form in Perth.

‘I thought he was great the other night,’ stressed Lennon. ‘Dynamic, scored a great goal, assist for the first goal was great, his work rate was great.

‘And I felt that he played with real freedom. That’s the James Forrest that I love. He’s such an important player.

‘Fifteen for the season is a great return; I want him to get to at least 20 by the end..

‘He’s just a quiet kid. That’s why he’s had such a successful career. There has been no controversy surrounding him, there’s been no social media around him. He’s a manager’s dream.

‘I did enquire about him once, but no chance. The club weren’t interested in letting him go. And he’s been here 10-11 years as well and hasn’t left.

‘I don’t know if he will go on to be a one-club man but I do know I’m not going to sell him. So that would be James’ decision.’

Celtic are shaping up to be more dangerous down the title stretch even after Mikey Johnston’s knee ligament damage, which will sideline the 20-year-old long term.

Mohamed Elyounoussi returned to training yesterday and the re-emergence of Leigh Griffiths has given top scorer Odsonne Edouard support acts he has been denied in his lone-striker role.

Lennon said: ‘I’m delighted with the attacking verve, the intent and the purpose that we play with.

‘It’s not always going to be that way but we seem to have hit form again where, in the first half of the season, we were scoring quite regularly and heavily and it’s the most important part of the game.

‘Seeing players like Jamesy back to his very best, that gives us such a lift. Seeing Griffiths score a real good striker’s goal. All that pleases me. There’s a real appetite for goals which is very important.

‘I felt Griffiths and Edouard dovetailed quite well at times on Wednesday and looked really dangerous. But that’s their football intelligence, it’s not exactly something that you can practise at times.

‘They play on split-second decisions on occasion. Sometimes a lone striker is a very difficult role to play and, with wingers being injured, we weren’t getting enough support for Odsonne at times.

‘You don’t want to leave him isolated, either, because it then becomes a really hard task to bring other people into the game.’