Return of the Saint: Revived Forster targets England spot

REUTERS – Fraser Forster has one eye on reclaiming his place in the England squad for the European Championships but the Southampton goalkeeper insists his main priority is racking up minutes for his club.

Forster made his first-team comeback from knee surgery in Wednesday’s 2-0 win over Watford after spending nearly 10 months on the sidelines and was pleased to be back in the thick of the action.

“I felt good, I felt I’d never been away, to be honest. I’m just delighted to be back playing,” the 27-year-old was quoted as saying in the British media.

“Obviously, the challenge for me is to look forward to the championships in the summer and try and perform as well as I can…”

“(But) I’m not really thinking about England at the minute. I’ve just come back. I’ve played one first-team game. For me, it’s just a case of working as hard as I can for Southampton and see where that takes me.”

Stoke City’s Jack Butland has taken Forster’s place in Roy Hodgson’s England team behind Joe Hart and the Southampton keeper is relishing the challenge posed by his younger rival in their battle to be at the June-July tournament in France.

“Jack’s obviously been around for a while playing with England under-21s. He’s a top keeper and that’s what spurs you on to be better — having that competition,” Forster added.

(Reporting by Simon Jennings in Bengaluru; Editing by John O’Brien)