Brendan Rodgers hailed the impact of two Celtic substitutes in the 4-1 win away to Hearts at Tynecastle on Sunday.
Both James Forrest and Tomoki Iwata came into the match during the second half with impressive effect. Iwata, in particular, did his chances of more minutes no harm at all with a fine finish off the woodwork to round off the day’s scoring.
Rodgers reckons having these players on the fringes of the squad is going to be vital as the season progresses and has hailed their work ethic, as well as their intelligence.
Iwata and Forrest hailed by Celtic boss
He said post-match [The Scotsman]: “It was a great finish from Iwata and I am pleased for him. He works so hard. Some of these guys are very important for us. They may not start as many games as they would like but their contribution is really important. He came on and got his first goal for the club which is terrific.
“I also thought James Forrest was brilliant when he came into the game. We don’t have a winger as bright as him in our squad yet and I told the young guys afterwards to learn from him. The players in the periphery are so important for us.”
Iwata was making just his third appearance of the season today and he is yet to start a match under Rodgers.
However, it sounds like the manager trusts him to perform, so if there are any absences or Rodgers decides to rotate the team over the coming weeks, he could get an opportunity.
Forrest meanwhile is going to be involved in this role consistently if he stays fit. Rodgers appears to consider him as an elder statesman of the squad who can really help others stay sharp.
Not every player in the squad can be a regular starter, but these two are assets regardless.
In other news, Steven Naismith gets bitter after Celtic break Hearts at Tynecastle.
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