Neil Lennon has stated that he’s hopeful James Forrest will be able to undergo surgery and finally start recovering from the long-term ankle injury that’s keeping him out of action.
Forrest hasn’t played for Celtic since the club’s Europa League qualifying win in Riga on September 24th. The Scotland international had to be taken off after 34 minutes with an ankle fracture and hasn’t been seen since.
Since then, Jeremie Frimpong has taken up Forrest’s position, and whilst he’s impressed on a regular basis, the lack of depth in that area is a big concern.
And Lennon has admitted that he’s looking for Forrest to go under the knife next week in a bid to really kickstart his recovery – but he did stop short on explaining just how long he could be out for.
As quoted by the Scottish Sun, Lennon said: “He requires surgery, so that will hopefully take place next week and get that tidied up but he’ll be out for a period of time.
“I don’t know how long, it will depend on how successful the surgery is. It’s a stress fracture in the ankle.”
A January addition at right-wing looks essential
It doesn’t matter what formation the manager plays, it’s becoming increasingly evident that Celtic will need to add to their depth at right-wing when January rolls around.
There is a massive responsibility, and perhaps even an unfair one, on Frimpong to stay fit throughout the Christmas period. It would’ve been ideal, given the run of games Celtic have, to be able to rotate him in and out with an alternative option. Celtic don’t really have that luxury at the moment.
With Forrest set for surgery, it could easily be the case that he’s played his last game of 2020. The recovery period will be substantial, and that’s even if the surgery itself is a success.
When you combine that with the fact that Frimpong often takes heavy treatment from opposition defenders, the club has a big decision to make in January when it comes to depth.
Whether Lennon plays a 3-5-2 or a 4-2-3-1, one thing is always constant – Celtic play with plenty of width. They’re a club that needs its wide-men to be fit and firing as it’s such a crucial part of how we play. Our two goals against Lille on Thursday night for example came through decent work/pressing down the flanks.
Regardless, here’s hoping Forrest powers through the surgery and gets back on the Lennoxtown training pitch as soon as possible.
In other news, 67HailHail writer John Reid believes that one crucial Hampden rule could sway this afternoon’s Scottish Cup semi-final in Celtic’s favour.
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