Celtic winger James Forrest says he’s desperate to impress Scotland boss Steve Clarke and cement his place in the squad for the Euro Finals.
The Parkhead star returned to the starting line-up yesterday for the first time since September and scored in the Hoops’ 3-0 Scottish Cup win over Falkirk.
He’ll be a key man for stand-in boss John Kennedy for the rest of the campaign – and should be part of prospective new gaffer Eddie Howe’s plans for next term.
But Forrest says his main priority is catching the eye of Clarke again – as he’s desperate to play at the Euros.
Before picking up an injury, he was a vital player for the national side. And the 29-year-old wants to be pulling on a dark blue shirt for our opener at Hampden against Czech Republic on June 14.
After the victory over Bairns, Forrest said: “It felt great to start and top that off with a goal.
“Ask any player and they’ll tell you they want to be involved this summer with Scotland.
“Everyone’s buzzing that we’ve qualified and I want to be part of it.
“I want to play as many games as I can before the end of the season and hope it helps my case.
“Clarke has been great with me, right from the start he made me feel welcome. So hopefully I have a chance.”
Kennedy wasn’t happy with Celts’ first-half display when they failed to break down League One Falkirk.
But he praised comeback man Forrest and says he’ll be shocked if Clarke doesn’t select him in Scotland’s squad for the summer.
Kennedy said: “The first half wasn’t so good.
“We had lots of the ball but were a bit sloppy in the final third.
“The second half was better, we scored terrific goals and probably should have won by more.
“James is the ultimate professional. He does everything to maximise what he’s good at and it’s great to have him back.
“He started to show that threat that allowed him to get his goal. We’re delighted to see him on the scoresheet and get minutes in his legs.
“Of course, he’ll want to go to the Euros and Steve knows what a good player he is.
“He eliminates opponents and it’s important to have that in the squad. It would be a surprise if he’s not in it.”
Kennedy refused to be drawn on reports that Howe is set to take over as Celtic boss this week.
He said: “I don’t know if there will be news, there’s been a lot of talk.
“But the club have been calm, they do business behind the scenes.
“I’ll do what’s right for the club. I know what I do here and what I can offer.
“It’s still my goal to be a manager but I’ve never been in a rush.
“I’ve had opportunities to do my own thing but this is a good place here with good people.”
Falkirk co-boss Lee Miller was proud of the way his side competed.
He said: “It was always going to be tough to compete with Celtic for 90 minutes but I’m proud of the boys. The fighting spirit was there.
“It’s great experience for us but the league is our bread and butter.”
