Fraser Forster is going to be a “massive” presence for Celtic this season, according to Chris Sutton.
The Hoops’ stopper is in his second spell at the club after rejoining from Southampton over the summer, and has already reestablished himself as Neil Lennon’s number one.
Reflecting on the Bhoys’ 1-1 Europa League draw with Rennes in a column for the Daily Record, he said: “Fraser Forster might not have had a lot to do, but you can see he has that stature and presence and he’s going to be massive for the team in the rest of the competition.”
How important can Forster be for Celtic this term?
If he is on song, then Forster can be a really, really significant player for the Hoops this term.
The 31-year-old made 259 saves during his 107 appearances for Southampton in the Premier League.
During that time he conceded just 119 goals, keeping 37 clean sheets in the process and saving two penalties.
Those kind of stats show an assured and reliable goalkeeper who can mix it with the very best in British football on his day.
He may have only played once last term, but during the 20 games he played in the Premier League in 2017/18, he averaged 3.4 saves per match for the Saints, as per Whoscored.
Let’s not forget, this is a player who has form when it comes to digging the Hoops out of holes in Europe.
Forster was so impressive when Celtic beat Barcelona 2-1 in the Champions League back in 2012 that the continental media labelled him ‘The Great Wall’, as per the Telegraph.
Granted, that was a long, long time ago now, but it gives you an insight into exactly the sort of mentality and ability that Forster has, and in a European campaign that promises to be anything but simple, a character of his stature could, as Sutton suggests, be a real asset.
He may have had a quiet night on Thursday, making just the one save, but he will have more to do in weeks to come, and it wouldn’t be a shock to see him rise to the challenge well.