James Forrest is desperate to make Steve Clarke's final 26-man Scotland squad for Euro 2024 - but he isn't taking his spot on the plane to Germany for granted.
The Celtic winger enjoyed a resurgent end to the 2023/24 campaign as he helped the Hoops win a domestic double. He scored five times from his final 10 games which earned him a long-awaited recall to the Scotland squad.
It couldn't have come at a better time for the veteran winger, with the Euros on the horizon.
He started in Monday’s 2-0 friendly win over Gibraltar and displayed glimpses of what he can offer the Scotland team, who will head into the tournament without several key players including Lyndon Dykes.
“That’s down to the manager,” he admitted.” Myself and a few others, you just need to come away and enjoy it, give your best, and I think that’s all you can do. Then it’s up to the manager.
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“I have not been in a camp for three years and I am getting a bit older as well, but I have really enjoyed my football for the last couple of months and was delighted to get the call-up and get another game for Scotland. I am just going to enjoy every day that I am here.
“Every Scottish player wants to go and be a part of it and obviously I am the same. Even though you are getting older, you still want to work hard and play for your national team as much as you can.
“As a professional player you want to play in the biggest games possible, you want to play in big stadiums against the best players, and I have managed to do that all my career.
“I am going to enjoy the next few days and when the manager makes his decision, I will get on with it.”
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Forrest might have been excluded from the international set-up during the past three years yet he claims there's been a familiar feel since he arrived back in the camp.
“Maybe Angus Gunn was the only player I didn’t know,” Forrest said. “After the first day, honestly it felt as though I hadn’t been away. I’ve known loads of the boys for years and it’s a really tight group. It just felt normal and it was good to get back training and playing.
“I have really enjoyed the first few days back in training and meeting up with the boys again and obviously I was delighted to play and start and be back involved.”
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