James Forrest is ready to complete his second decade as a Celtic player.
As a 9-year-old schoolboy in Ayrshire he signed his first Celtic contract and has bagged 12 major honours at the age of 26.
This season he is a leading contender for the Player of the Year awards with his knack of scoring in big matches seeing him through double figures before Christmas.
When Brendan Rodgers arrived at Celtic it looked like Forrest would be on his way with just six months remaining on his contract.
Talks about a new contract started in pre-season training in Slovenia with both player and manager delighted with the results since a new contract was signed off.
“The contract thing rumbled on but I always wanted to stay,” Forrest told The Sun.
“It was put to the back of my mind and I just tried to play as many Celtic games as I could.
“It was hard because I had six months to go on my contract but I’d only ever been at Celtic. I always hoped I’d stay. That’s what I wanted. Then that pre-season when I got my contract sorted I was delighted.
“I just want to stay here as long as possible. Could I now be here for the rest of my career? In football you never know and Celtic are always looking to better the team. You need to be on it the whole time.
“If not then they will sign new players and you can be easily replaced.
“I’ve only known Celtic and I’d love to stay here as long as I can. If you get complacent, then it’s dangerous.”
Forrest’s current contract runs until June 2019 with the next six months crucial as talks begin on an extension.
Having largely held off the challenge from Paddy Roberts and proved himself in Europe the 26-year-old will go into negotiations with a much stronger hand than when he negotiated his last Celtic deal.
