Mark Devlin 
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James Forrest registered a hat-trick of assists at the weekend and joined a long list of people who have spoken highly of fellow Celtic team-mate Moussa Dembele.
The Scottish international started in his side’s 6-0 mauling of Inverness on Sunday and positively contributed throughout the game on the right wing.
Another player who had an overwhelming effect on the game was striker Moussa Dembele, who bagged his second consecutive hat-trick.
Forrest spoke highly of his French teammate and believes he will only get better under manager Brendan Rodgers.
As quoted by the Evening Times, the winger said:
It’s great to have a player like that. You give him a chance and you know he’ll score. He can score goals out of nothing as well.
He’s a great player and we’re really lucky to have him. He just seems to keep scoring. Even when he’s not been in the game for a while, he gets half a chance and he’ll score with his first touch.
It’s great to have that in the team. When you know things aren’t going your way, if he can get a chance you know he will put it away. He’s on 26 goals now and he could easily hit 40. I know he’ll just take it a game at a time. Hopefully he gets more.
[The speculation] has not affected him at all. The boys have been giving him a wee bit of stick but he gets on with it.
You wouldn’t think he’s only 20 with the way he acts. That’s two hat-tricks in a row now. It’s a huge credit to him and the players around him for creating the chances.
His all-round game is improving as well. His link-up play was spot on [against Inverness] as were his goals. He gets a lot of assists. He’s such a good player for the team and as an individual as well.
Forrest is enjoying what is arguably his best season in a Celtic shirt after having gone through a transformation under Rodgers.
The 25-year-old netted six times for the champions this season while also registering 11 assists.
The winger has taken criticism in abundance while experiencing the highs and lows at Celtic since signing his first professional contract back in 2009, but seems like a different player this season thanks to the influence of Rodgers.
