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This article is part of Football FanCast's Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers...

Celtic manager Neil Lennon is hoping to extend James Forrest' contract at the club, as reported by The Daily Record.

What's he said?

The winger signed a new deal just last September, tying him down to the Hoops until the summer of 2022 when he will be turning 31.

Lennon though has revealed discussions have already taken place about him extending that contract further and the player is keen to commit even more of his future to the Hoops.

Keith from C'mon the Hoops throws back to a former Celtic and Ireland star in the video below...

As quoted by The Daily Record, the Celtic boss said of the Scotland international:

"He still has that desire. He wants to extend his contract as well which is great. Rather than talking about people leaving the club, we’ve got one there who wants to stay so that’s one we’ll definitely look at.

"He still has time left on his deal but we have already talked about an extension for him. I honestly think Jamesy is the poster boy for the club.

"He’s really the first one since the inception of all this. He broke in, scored on his debut at 18 and he’s 28 now.

"He’s player of the year, treble Treble winner, played in the Champions League, and was international player of the year for Scotland. He has been doing it year in, year out.

"I think he got maligned a little bit for a spell or two but over the last few seasons he’s really matured into a top quality player."

Why does he deserve a new deal?

As Lennon mentions, Forrest has received his fair share of criticism at Celtic over the last decade but in recent seasons he's slowly emerged as one of the club's most important players.

Having previously failed to reach double figures for goals in a single season, the winger netted on 17 occasions in both 2017/18 and 2018/19 as the club marched towards second and third successive domestic trebles.

Also creating 30 assists across the two seasons, he's become a lethal attacker in all areas, able to finish from in and around the box while also consistently setting up his teammates.

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A homegrown talent whose only ambition has even been shining for Celtic, he deserves life status at the club and if he signs a new contract beyond 2022, he will surely go on to finish his career at Celtic Park.

The "poster boy" status Lennon mentions is fully merited and there's no sign of him slowing down anytime soon - if anything he's only just reaching his peak years. That's worth investing in.