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Former Celtic manager candidate Roberto Martinez has picked out James Forrest as a talented player.

The Belgium manager noted him ahead of their match against Scotland.

The Spaniard could have brought Forrest through in 2009 when he was in the running for the job. Nevertheless, Martinez will settle with going up against him with his world class stars.

Roberto Martinez rates James Forrest

The 45-year-old is familiar with Scottish and British football extensively.

His assistant is ex-Celtic attacking midfielder Shaun Maloney and he even had a brief stint at Motherwell.

Martinez is ingrained in English football and will know fine well about talented Hoops stars.

The gaffer picked out Forrest ahead of his side’s match with Scotland.

He told the Daily Record: “There’s a lot of talent in this group. John McGinn, Kenny McLean, Oliver Burke, James Forrest; you’ve got a winning mentality and it’s a team you cannot take lightly.

“Potentially they’re going to be a strong team in Europe.”

Forrest is player of the year and is flying at the moment for club and country.

Praise from a top manager like Martinez will not go a miss and show Forrest is on the right track.

However, the ex-Wigan boss also picked out a surprise name along with Forrest.

Oliver Burke rated by Roberto Martinez?

Martinez also pinpointed former Celtic loanee Burke in his names of top Scotland men. This shows that there could still be something about the 22-year-old.

Burke didn’t have the best spell in Glasgow last season and his future is uncertain.

He did save new manager Steve Clarke’s skin at the weekend, scoring a late winner against Cyprus.

In an unfamiliar position, Burke was front and centre to header and follow-up the rebound.

At Celtic, Burke was the focal point and often the striker – playing out of his natural position.

Could Burke come back for a second loan under Neil Lennon and be rejuvenated? Are we getting rid of him too early?