James Forrest yesterday praised Harry Kewell for the impact he’s made since the Australian coach was invited to join the Celtic backroom staff in the summer by fellow Aussie Ange Postecoglou.
And the Celtic winger, asked about Daizen Maeda’s outstanding form since returning from the World Cup, reveals that the entire squad was delighted for all four Celtic stars who represented their countries so well in Qatar.
“Everybody was buzzing for all the boys that went to the World Cup. They have all come back confident having played for their countries and had a great experience for them,” Forrest said.
“Daizen has come back flying and he has scored a few goals lately. He is doing what he has done since he came in so that is a credit to him.
“Harry Kewell has not only helped me but others. He helped me greatly at the start when it was one game a week for the first four weeks and I didn’t feature that much.
“He still made me feel a big part of it and even though I am one of the older players it was still really good that he would take you aside after training and do extra with you because he wanted you to do well when you did get the chance.
“He does loads of drills with the wingers too because that’s where he played. I think for me and the other wingers I have spoken to we would all say he has a really big impact.
And as we approach the business end of the season with the first trophy set to be handed out next month, Forrest accepts that as one of the more experienced players in the squad alongside the likes of skipper Callum McGregor, he is in a decent position to help the younger players cope with the intense period ahead of the Hoops.
“I think there are a couple of older, experienced boys who have been in and about it. I think even with the manager coming in last year a lot of new players in the squad had never been in that position before but I think they handled it really well last year.
“Last season definitely helps for a lot of those players, the Champions League experience I think a lot of it is based on confidence. You can see the way the players in the team are all playing. Everyone is confident. I think that helps as well as the players who have been there and done it before.
“The players can take confidence in themselves and the way they are playing,” Forrest stated. Here’s Jamesy’s Media Conference from yesterday ahead of tonight’s match against St Mirren at Celtic Park.
