JAMES FORREST has urged Scott Brown to stay at Celtic – and insisted EVERYONE at the club wants him to remain for at least another year.
The evergreen skipper, who will be 36 in June when he becomes a free agent, has been linked with a move to Aberdeen as assistant boss to Stephen Glass – if his former Hibs team-mate gets the Pittodrie post, as CQN reported during the week.
Forrest, who made his long-awaited comeback as a late substitute against Dundee United a week ago after five months on the sidelines following an ankle injury, is adamant his colleagues are united in hoping the captain agrees an extension to prolong his 14-year career at the club where he has won 22 honours.
The 29-year-old Scotland international forward said: “With everything he has achieved here, he is such a big part of Celtic. On and off the park, he has been unbelievable.
WE’RE BEHIND YOU, BROONY…the Celtic players want Scott Brown to remain at the Hoops.
“If you look at his numbers, you will see they are right up there with the very fittest players and he never misses training. So, yes, it would be good if he stayed here for another year. I think everybody involved at the club – players, staff – wants that.
“I can see him playing here for another year and then it is about how he feels with his body.”
Forrest, speaking to the Sunday Mail, added: “Since I came through, I have always trained and played alongside Broony, so it would feel really strange if he wasn’t here.
“It is something I don’t want to happen. Not so soon. He’s the only player who has been here since the very start for me and has been a big part in my career.
“It is up to him to determine his future, but you could definitely see him going on to be a coach and a manager.”
The focus now, though, for Forrest and Brown is the arrival of Steven Gerrard’s Ibrox side for the Glasgow derby in the east end of Glasgow a week today with a High Noon showdown.
The Hoops have lost the previous two meetings, 2-0 at Parkhead in October and 1-0 in Govan at the turn of the year.
They were in command of the previous game for an hour, but the encounter turned dramatically when Nir Bitton was red-carded and Callum McGregor deflected a right-wing corner-kick beyond Vasilis Barkas. Astonishingly, the home side lifted all three points that day without gatting a solitary effort on target.
Hopefully, Dame Fortune will smile on Celtic on Sunday.
