By Frank McAvennie

4th Oct, 2023 | 6:00am

James Forrest tipped for return to Celtic XI after what expert has seen

James Forrest will finish his career at Celtic and is still an important asset to Brendan Rodgers.

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, former Hoops striker Frank McAvennie suggested Forrest will get his fair share of minutes in the coming seasons despite the options Brendan Rodgers has on the wing.

Despite returning to the starting XI for last Saturday’s (23 September) 3-0 win over Livingston, the 32-year-old dropped back to the bench for the dramatic 2-1 victory over Motherwell (30 September).

The winger was withdrawn early on against Livingston to make way for Scott Bain after Joe Hart was shown a red card but was subbed on at half time at Fir Park to make way for Hyunjun Yang.

But McAvennie insisted Forrest will earn more minutes this season and in future seasons.

“I think he has got what it takes,” he told Football Insider.

“He keeps the ball well, people double up on him, he gives us the width that Brendan wants and I think this is a great indictment for him.

“He is going into his testimonial year so it is great that he is still getting game time.

“Brendan is just showing you the squad is not as big as what people think it is. James comes in and does well, he slots in seamlessly.

“He has been a great servant and he will do a great job for Celtic this year. He is not going to play every game, but he will do what is asked of him.

“He will finish his career at Celtic and for the next few years he will be an asset to the team.“

In other news, winger wants to quit Celtic for good after talks with chiefs.