James Forrest shows Celtic big game credentials that earn him Sportscene 'no brainer' Scotland status
dailyrecord.co.ukJames Forrest's inspired displays for Celtic in the past eight days have got two pundits urging Steve Clarke to hand him a Scotland recall just in time for the European Championships in the summer.In his first start since lining up in a 2-1 win over St Mirren on November 1, the 32-year-old was the Hoops match winner on Sunday, scoring both of his side's goals in a 2-1 win against Dundee that maintained Celtic's three point lead at the top of the Premiership with four games to play.That brace came just eight days after the experienced winger was deployed as a substitute to devastating effect in last Saturday's Scottish Cup semi-final meeting with Aberdeen at Hampden, with Forrest netting Celtic's second goal in the thrilling 3-3 draw that the cup holders eventually came out on top in via a penalty shootout.
Since making his national team debut in 2011, Forrest has gone onto score five times in 38 caps for Scotland, including a memorable hat trick in a Nations League victory against Israel in 2018.The Lennoxtown youth graduate last represented his country at the delayed Euro 2020 finals in the summer of 2021, but his lack of game time for the Hoops in recent seasons has seen him fall down the pecking order.
However, Sportscene pundits Stephen Craigan and Michael Stewart are in no doubt that the veteran should be on the plane to Germany next summer, with the former making reference to Celtic gaffer Brendan Rodgers' recent claim that Forrest is still the best wide man he has at his disposal.Craigan said: "People are having the same discussion around Steve Clarke having Craig Gordon as his second choice, even though he is not playing at Hearts, because of his big game experience. "James Forrest epitomises that.
Read more on dailyrecord.co.uk
