Forrest news Is great but losing Bernardo for five weeks is grim

The Celtic Star

·15 February 2025

Forrest news Is great but losing Bernardo for five weeks is grim

The great news that James Forrest is back is offset by the Paulo Bernardo injury update…

Victoria Park, Dingwall, Scottish Premiership Ross County versus Celtic; James Forrest of Celtic. Photo Vagelis Georgariou

Forrest is back on the grass

We got a welcome boost yesterday when Brendan Rodgers revealed that James Forrest was back on the training pitch, albeit he’s still a couple of weeks away from first team action.

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James has been out since he picked up an injury in December’s Premier Sports League Cup final win over theRangers, and whilst we’ve coped well enough in his absence, it’s been a bit of a blow having being denied the option of calling upon his influence and experience these past couple of months.

James Forrest Celtic v Hibernian, Scottish Premiership, Celtic Park, 07 December 2024 Photo Stuart Wallace Shutterstock

Sure, James isn’t a regular starter, but he’s a great option to bring on from the bench. His experience and winning mentality speaks for itself. That experience and attitude makes him a valuable figure not just on the park, but in the dressing room. So having him available for an important stage of the campaign is much welcoming news indeed.

Paulo Bernardo of Celtic leaves the pitch injured during the Scottish Cup match between Celtic FC and Raith Rovers FC at Celtic Park on February 08, 2025 (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Bernardo wearing a moon-boot and will be out for around five weeks

But in the midst of the good news, there was a bit of bad news with the news that Paulo Bernardo has been sidelined for 5-6 weeks after picking up an ankle injury against Raith Rovers last weekend in the Scottish Cup tie at Celtic Park.

Paulo, like James may not be seen as a regular starter, but he’s a talented individual and offers us an excellent option in the middle of the park. So missing his ability for the next few weeks is a major blow. He may well have been in Brendan’s thoughts to start against Bayern Munich on Tuesday night in the Allianz Arena and his absence is a blow to the Celtic cause as we search for the most unlikely of victories – but remember folks, nothing is impossible.

Paul Bernardo with the Premier Sports Cup after Celtic’s victory over theRangers on 15 December 2024 at Hampden Park. Photo Kenny Ramsay

We can’t dwell on it however, and we still have the numbers and ability in our squad to cope going forward domestically as we eye another Treble. Hopefully Paulo won’t be missed too much football and will be back for the business end of the campaign.

Just an Ordinary Bhoy

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