Celtic midfielder James Forrest has signed a new five-year contract, the club have announced.
The 19-year-old, a product of the Celtic Youth Academy, made his first-team debut against Motherwell towards the end of last season, and he scored in a 4-0 victory for the Hoops.
"When I came here all I wanted to do was play for the first team but to sign a five-year deal is great, and I just want to get back to playing as soon as possible," said Forrest.
In total, he has made 15 first-team appearances, scoring four goals, the last of which was the opener in Celtic's 4-0 home win over Hearts last Wednesday before he went off with a hamstring injury which rules him out of Saturday's Co-operative Insurance Cup semi-final against Aberdeen at Hampden.
"I was pleased to get my debut at the end of last season but I never thought it would have gone as well as it has this season. I had a good pre-season and I showed the coaches what I could do.
"Tommy Burns always used to say that once you got there, the hardest thing was to stay in the team. He said it wasn't easy to get in the first team but staying there is harder."
Forrest revealed his frustration at picking up an injury against Hearts but aims to bounce back soon.
"I was delighted with the three points," he told Channel 67's Huddle Online show. "But from a personal point of view it was disappointing to pick up the injury.
"I'm hoping to be back in about three weeks.
"I'm just glad to get the contract signed now and out of the way and I can concentrate on getting back in the team and winning the league."
Source: PA
