Judging by the current mood, it is a call that many Celtic fans might have hung up on. And that might have been had they been in benevolent mood.

But as Celtic began to absorb the ramifications of Brendan Rodgers’ move to Leicester this week, Forrest accepted his farewell speech from the departed manager on Thursday evening. And despite the fury that has greeted the timing of Rodgers’s return to the Premier League, Forrest was more philosophical about the events of the week.

One of those whose career was kicked on by the tutelage of Rodgers, Forrest was reluctant to view Rodgers back door exit as anything other than symptomatic of his industry but he admitted that he was “gutted” by the news.

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“He phoned me on Thursday night and for me he has been really good over the past couple of years,” said Forrest.

“I will always remember what he did for me. It was good that he contacted me, he has put so much into the club over that time. But he has a new job now and we need to get on with ours too.”

Rodgers told his backroom staff and captain Scott Brown on Monday at Lennoxtown that he was leaving for Leicester but by the time formal acknowledgement was given to the squad, the news was already well out there.

Rodgers is the first Celtic manager in the club’s 130-year history to leave mid-season for another club. The unsettling aspect of his swift exit was exacerbated by arguably the most difficult week for Celtic domestically since the turn of the year with a game at Tynecastle followed by the Cup tie at Easter Road, the only ground the now Leicester manager never won a game at.

“It was pretty hectic. Everything happened within 24 hours,” explained Forrest. “Previously I’d known managers to leave at the end of the season so it was different. The boys did well to cope with it on Wednesday.

“Everybody was here on Monday. We had heard wee rumours on the Monday night and Tuesday morning and then it happened. But I think maybe because of how well we have done over the past couple of years it was bigger than it might otherwise have been. Celtic being a massive club too it’s big news, his profile too.

“When I woke up on Tuesday it seemed as if everything had moved forward. On the way into training it was done. I had no inkling on the Monday. We had played on Sunday so the ones who played were in doing recovery.

“He must have been speaking to the boys out on the training pitch but all we heard were the wee rumours on the Monday. I have spoken to him since.

“I’m not sure if he has been phoning round all the guys. It’s been a bit mental, we’ve had a game and so have Leicester. Sometimes in football things can happen so fast. I think everyone would like to have said bye but it can’t always be like that.”

Forrest is on his way to becoming the most decorated modern Celt with 15 major honours collected since breaking into the first-team almost a decade ago.

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Yet, his consistency has only really come to the fore in recent seasons under Rodgers with the addition of goals also becoming intrinsic to what he offers.

“Because it has been so good over the past couple of years and he [Rodgers] has done so well for me, the team and for Scottish football I was gutted. It was strange because we had two huge games in the league and the cup, two huge games in terms of our season.

“But I think the club handled it really well by getting the manager in so quick. We still have John Kennedy so we’ve kept everything the same and it’s been a case of trying to settle everyone down.”

While Forrest has echoed the public sentiments of Brown with regards to Rodgers, the tone within the Celtic support is far more vitriolic. Forrest, though, expects that has the anger quells the appreciation of the success Rodgers brought will slowly emerge.

“Maybe once it settles down everyone will think of how good it’s been,” he said. “We didn’t go into any of that too much. Things can change quickly in football.

“I think that’s a hard one. Once it settles down people will think it’s seven trophies out of seven.

“When he took over the club was kind of not in the best state and now it’s looking really good and positive.

“Maybe in time… but the games are coming thick and fast and we just need to concentrate on them. “When he was here it was always game at a time. It was always about what came next., not looking too far in front. That message stays the same, we have a lot to prepare for.”