AIDEN McGEADY believes James Forrest can become the best player at Celtic and stay at Parkhead to lead the club to success in the future.
The 20-year-old winger has become a fixture in the Celtic side and McGeady, the Republic of Ireland winger who left Parkhead in a £10m move to Spartak Moscow in 2010, has been impressed with the progress of the Prestwick youngster.
''I was at the Old Firm game last week and I thought he was excellent,'' said McGeady, who is back in Scotland as the Russian league takes a winter break. "I watch most Celtic games on the internet and have been following the team closely. I believe James has come on massively this season. He can play on either flank, he is quick and has scored goals. It would be difficult not to be impressed.''
McGeady, 25, has experience of breaking into the Celtic first team as a youngster and shouldering the burden of being a creative force for the side. He knows Forrest has the character to revel in this role.
''James was training with the first team squad before I left and I always felt he would make it. When players come into contact with the first team they can be quite diffident, not sure of themselves. But James was different. He was confident but without any arrogance.''
McGeady has followed the progress of his successor with interest and has been pleasantly surprised by Forrest's sudden emergence as a potent force for the first team.
''He has kicked on massively,'' he said. ''He has been handled well, too. He played and then was maybe left out the team to protect him. James has rewarded that patience.''
Forrest has already been selected for the Scotland team and McGeady has no doubts about his potential to become the main player at Celtic.
''He will be essential to the team and he will be the best player in the side over the next two to three years,'' he said.
There has already been speculation linking Forrest with a move to the English Premier League but McGeady said: ''James never struck me as the sort of guy who would have a good season in the first team and want to leave.
"He is a Celtic fan and my impression and hope is that he will stay for a few years. I do not want to tell him how to work out his career, but it would be no bad thing for his progress to stay at Celtic and play regularly.''
McGeady is one of the first names on the Spartak Moscow team sheet and is looking forward to a spectacular 2012. The winger, whose first child Kaia was born in Moscow in September, returns to the city next week to prepare for Spartak's bid to win the title when the league restarts in March.
His side are eight points behind Zenit St Petersburg but McGeady believes the race is far from over.
''We lost just one game in 16 and Zenit have stumbled. We can make a challenge,'' said the winger who missed much of the early season because of ankle ligament damage.
He is similarly hopeful of an exciting Euro 2012 as his Republic of Ireland side bids to break out of a section that includes Spain, Italy and Croatia.
''We are in a tough group. But do not expect us to lie down. We have good players in every area of the team and we believe in ourselves,' he said.
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