Fraser Forster is going nowhere in January with Ralph Hasenhuttl playing down renewed speculation linking the Southampton benchwarmer with a return to Celtic, as reported by Hampshire Live.
The former England international must be wondering if he parked his car on an ancient burial ground before walking under a ladder on his return to Southampton’s training ground in the summer.
Fraser was a sensation on loan at Celtic last season, producing a series of gravity-defying saves as he rediscovered the form that once made him a genuine Premier League star on the South Coast.
He even saved an Alfredo Morelos penalty as Celtic somehow snatched victory from Rangers’ grasp in the Scottish League Cup final in 2019.
But since returning to England after his loan spell ended, Forster is back to being a £10 million benchwarmer. And, with Alex McCarthy in fine form between the sticks at Saints, that’s unlikely to change any time soon.
“(Forster) will stay with us at the moment. Alex McCarthy is our number one as he has developed a lot lately,” former RB Leipzig boss Hasenhuttl explains.
The Saints boss’ response came after Hampshire Live suggested Celtic could once again make a move for a goalkeeper who has been wearing a clover on his chest on and off for a decade.
Vasilis Barkas, the £4.7 million newbie, has endured a difficult adaptation period after arriving from AEK Athens while current number one Scott Bain is never a million miles away from a high-profile blunder.
Southampton sent Angus Gunn on loan to Stoke City in the summer so, in truth, were never likely to let Forster go as well.
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