Fraser Forster has appeared to pour cold water on the prospect of a return to Celtic after speaking after making his Premier League return with Southampton in the win over Liverpool. The match on Monday night was Forster’s first since the 5-0 win over St Mirren at Celtic Park back in March and occurred as a result of No.1 Alex McCarthy testing positive for COVID-19, Forster was given the gloves.
Speaking to Southampton’s website, Forster said he was delighted to be back after keeping a clean sheet against the English Champions as Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side ran out 1-0 winners.
“It’s a fantastic result, first and foremost. It’s always tough when you’re not playing as you are a bit rusty, but I think the lads in front of me were fantastic and really limited the number of opportunities, which were few and far between.
“Everyone defended, especially in the second half, from front to back so it was a fantastic team performance.
“Probably not our best performance on the ball, but out of possession we were fantastic and it’s an unbelievable result in the end. I’ve not played 90 minutes since football stopped before the first lockdown, so you’re looking at the best part of 9-10 months, so I was a bit rusty.”
Forster rejected the chance to return to Celtic in the summer, instead attempting to win the No.1 jersey with the Premier League outfit. Instead, Forster has been kept out of the team by McCarthy. Although the comments that seem to suggest that a return to Neil Lennon’s Celtic is unlikely is that Forster says that he wants to help the club no matter how – suggesting he is happy with his role as deputy with Southampton.
“I came in and tried to do my best and I’m just thankful to be back playing. It’s a long time since I played here and it’s fantastic to be back playing for a club I love.
“The manager has got the team playing in a fantastic way and it’s such a good way of playing football, so to be a part of that is fantastic and all I want to do is what I can to help the club move forward, however that is.”
Forster could very well be tempted into a move back to Celtic if Hasenhuttl decides to continue with McCarthy when he returns following a positive COVID-19 result. Forster is 33 this year and will be keen to maximise his value in the coming years with maybe one more move left in him.
