James Forrest wants to make the most of his remaining time at Celtic

Celtic winger James Forrest is “enjoying every training session and every game” as he looks to make the most of the time he has left on the pitch.

The 33-year-old recently signed a contract extension that will take him to the end of next season.

Forrest has enjoyed a new lease of life after winning his place back in the team in March and playing a key role in an impressive run of form that saw Celtic win the double, continue an unbeaten domestic record into this season, and impress in the Champions League.

As Celtic prepare for a trip to Aberdeen which could see them go seven points clear in the William Hill Premiership, Forrest said: “I’m just going to keep enjoying it. I’m really enjoying the last nine months. I’ve loved every minute of it and I’m just going to keep enjoying every training session and every game I’m involved in.

“I might only have a couple of years, I don’t know how long I’ve got left. I just need to make sure I really enjoy it.”

Forrest could equal the club-record haul of 25 winners’ medals which belongs to Lisbon Lion Bobby Lennox when Celtic face Rangers in the Premier Sports Cup final on December 15.

Success has meant sacrifice and Forrest admits he is only truly learning to appreciate playing for Celtic in the moment as he gets more experienced.

“Sometimes because of the pressure of playing for Celtic, there’s a game every couple of days, important games, and I think it can maybe be sometimes hard to enjoy it,” he said. “You maybe enjoy it once the season’s finished, or if you’ve won a cup, you can enjoy it there, but there’s always a big game.

“But personally I do feel as though it’s probably one of the most I’ve ever enjoyed, being a part of it and playing. And then obviously it helps with how successful the team’s been and how well the team’s playing as well.

“Maybe when I was in my mid-20s it was kind of new when you’re winning constantly and it doesn’t matter what game you’re playing, the pressure’s massive. The amount of fans that come to our home games, away games, it’s mental throughout the full season.

“So I think maybe just when you sit back a wee bit when you’re older and realise how big the club is, and you know that you’re not going to play forever, so you want to enjoy it as much as you can.

“Matt O’Riley always used to talk about having fun and enjoying yourself. I think the manager says as well, when you’re playing with a smile on your face, you can see loads of boys are feeling confident. I think that’s why the team is doing really well.

“Everyone’s enjoying the hard work in the games and you can see it with the performances and the results as well.”

Forrest will turn 35 in the summer of 2026 and is starting to consider that he might finish his career as a Celtic player, whether it is then or later.

“I’ve never really thought about it, but I think when I get older I’ve realised, especially the last couple of years, when you’re in the Celtic bubble, when you’re winning league titles, you’re playing in the Champions League, I don’t think there’s much better,” he said.

“My role in the team has changed over the last couple of years, but I’ve enjoyed and loved every minute of it. I’m going to just keep working hard to be here as long as I can.

“I’ve never thought about that, but especially as I’m getting older, I think it will be (his final club).”