Celtic in safe hands with top shot-stopping trio

Celtic goalkeeping coach Stevie Woods reckons the Parkhead club are in safe hands literally.

The Hoops aim to retain the services of first-choice keeper Fraser Forster by fending off interest from a number of clubs in England and abroad.

But they’ve bolstered their goalkeeping options by signing Scotland keeper Craig Gordon and still have Lukasz Zaluska on board.

Woods said: “We’re in an extremely fortunate position where we now have three international goalkeepers all pushing each other.

“I wouldn’t imagine there are too many clubs with as many keepers who have all represented their country.

“Fraser obviously worked tremendously hard to force his way into the England set-up and was rewarded with a place in their World Cup squad.

“Lukasz has been capped by Poland and has been in plenty of international squads throughout his career.

“And we’ve just signed Craig, who has 40 Scotland caps to his name. So it’s great to have three goalkeepers with international experience all pushing each other hard to get into the Celtic team.”

Woods also reckons the arrival of Gordon will automatically force Forster to remain at the top of his game.

“Competition is everything,” said Woods. “Craig will help push Fraser and the same goes for Lukasz. Having someone new will also help freshen up the group.

“Craig’s injury problems have been well documented and he deserves massive credit for working as hard as he has to get back to this level. Now his aim will be to stay fit, continue to work hard and show everyone what he is capable of.

“And Fraser will be aiming to pick up where he left off last season. It’s my job to try and get the most out of all the goalkeepers at the club and I’m hoping that proves to be the case.”