Celtic winger James Forrest has agreed a new contract that will keep him at the club next season.
The 34-year-old, the club’s most decorated player, has penned a one-year contract extension with the current Scottish Premiership champions.
Forest won 26 major honors with the Hoops, including 13 league titles, seven Scottish Cup titles and six League Cup titles.
Forest won 26 major trophies with Celtic
He has scored 110 goals in 564 appearances for the club, having scored in all 17 seasons he played for Celtic.
“I’m really happy, I’ve spent my entire career here and I’ve loved every minute of it,” he told the club’s website.
“We have been very successful here and I am delighted to have signed for another year and I will only do my best for the club for as long as I am here.”
“While I’m still playing, I want to contribute and help the team as much as possible and I’m going to give it my all until I’m done. When I stop playing, I’ll look back on a lot of great memories, but I hope I can make a few more before I’m done.”
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Forrest has scored in each of his 17 seasons at Celtic.
Manager Martin O’Neill added: “I really want James to finish his career here at Celtic and I don’t think he would have wanted him to go anywhere else, and I think that’s what he wanted too.”
“But the important thing when you take someone on is knowing if that player is worth extending for another year, and James proved he’s worth it this season.
“He changed the game and did a great job. His contribution in the last few weeks off the bench has been really good and he deserves it and that’s what’s important.”
“So put aside your sentimentality, he deserves it.
“He’s been an invaluable asset to the football club since Neil Lennon brought him in when he was a young boy in the reserves. He’s a player I love. I love players who play with people and he can play with people. Even that bit of explosive pace at his age is worth its weight in gold.”
“Irreplaceable”
Celtic captain Callum McGregor:
“He deserves a lot of credit. He’s someone who’s been at the club for a long time. He knows the structure of the club, he knows how the club is run. He knows what it takes to be a successful Celtic player.”
“He has won countless trophies, he has a lot of experience and he is always there when you need him.
“People like that are invaluable to your football club.
“I don’t think there’s much room for emotion in football. He leaves the moment he’s no longer needed, so that just shows how important he is.”
Callum McGregor and James Forrest are Celtic’s longest-serving players
“If you can stay at this club, a big club, for a long time, it shows you are doing something right.
“Every season has its challenges and you have to adapt to them, but a player like James has done amazingly well throughout his career.
“He has had to show many different sides of his game over and over again to become a mainstay for the club. If he has been here that long, he must be doing something right.”
“He just lives and breathes football and Celtic. So when you have players like that who are complete professionals and always have the best interests of the club in mind, it’s very important to keep them in your building and keep them going in the right direction.”
The first match after the split will be broadcast live on Sky Sports
April 25th: Celtic v Falkirk, 5.30pm April 26th: Hibernian v Hearts, 4.30pm May 3rd: Hibernian v Celtic, 12pm May 4th: Hearts v Rangers, 5.30pm May 9th: Motherwell v Hearts, 8pm May 10th: Celtic v Rangers, 12pm
