Southampton’s first choice keeper has withdrawn from selection from the England squad, citing an undisclosed injury, according to club media.
Fraser Forster will be unavailable for England while he undergoes treatment for the injury during the international break, according to a statement from Southampton’s club media.
The exact nature of the injury remains as-yet unknown, though the Saints’ keeper was withdrawn earlier this year with an arm issue and spent a protracted time on the bench two years ago with a severe knee injury. While it is obviously too early to speculate, the fact that Jordan Pickford and not Saints’ second-choice keeper Alex McCarthy was called to replace Forster may indicate that McCarthy will be pressed to service for his club when League action resumes.
McCarthy, acquired from Crystal Palace over the summer, has acquitted himself well as a rotation keeper for cup matches, holding clean sheets in EFL Cup ties against his former club and Sunderland. But the prolonged loss of a keeper, if that is indeed the case, puts Southampton in an awkward position for an already depleted defensive half and raises questions about the long-term durability of Forster.
Should Claude Puel keep with the keeper rotation, 35 year old veteran and journeyman Stuart Taylor may be called to his first action of the season, as might 18 year old Harry Lewis, currently of the Saints under-23 side. Lewis got the start in the U23 side’s 2-1 win over Colchester in the EFL Trophy, and has been a regular starter in the Premier League 2 with six starts out of nine games for Southampton U23.
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In the absence of any official word on the injury, this is of course all speculation and perhaps a bit of undue alarmism. In any case, Southampton’s faithful will watch their Three Lions march in minus one Saints, and hope for their keeper’s swift recovery ahead of what promises to be a grueling run into the Christmas holidays.