Fraser Forster is getting back to grips at Celtic after his World Cup duty with England.
Fraser Forster now has a taste for major competitions at international level. However, he knows Champions League football with Celtic is the key to keeping his England place.
The shot-stopper has returned to Parkhead more determined than ever to stay in Roy Hodgson’s squad after spending his summer at the World Cup Finals in Brazil.
While a transfer to the English Premier League or the continent would help his quest for international recognition, Forster knows Champions League football has been vital for him.
And he is aiming to help Celtic take their first step towards reaching the group stage by defeating KR Reykjavik in their first-leg qualifying clash in Iceland on Tuesday night.
“Playing in the Champions League has definitely been good for me in terms of exposure,” said Forster.
“But it’s been good for all of us and for the club too. We’ve all seen how big the Champions League nights are and it would be nice to get back in the group stages.
“We have to take it one game at a time. Reykjavik will be a tough away game and we need to play as well as we know we can.”
Forster was a late arrival at Celtic’s pre-season training base in Austria after his commitments in Brazil and he says, despite England’s early exit, the experience was fantastic.
“It was brilliant,” said Forster. “It was a fantastic experience to be a part of it. Obviously it would have been nice to have got a bit further in the competition but, for me personally, it was a great experience.
“We are now looking ahead of the European Championships and with such a young squad the experience of playing in Brazil with only help us.
“One of my goals last season was to try to get into that squad and I was delighted to achieve that.
“It was strange because our performances were really good in the tournament and it was just unfortunate we didn’t really get what we deserved out of the games.
“The Euros are now only a couple of years away so I’m already setting my sights on that.”
Forster has now completed his first full week back in training after joining up later than his team-mates who weren’t involved in the World Cup.
But he says he is perfectly placed to be ready for what he knows will be a massive game for new manager Ronny Deila.
Forster said: “Conditioning-wise I’m probably slightly ahead of where I finished last season. With being at the World Cup I’ve been working throughout the summer and am pretty much ready to go.
“The qualifiers come around so early. The manager is trying to implement the way he wants to play the game and it’s important we hit the ground running.
“We all know how tough the Champions League games are, especially when we’re drawn against teams who are halfway through their season.
“It will be important that we go into Tuesday’s game with the right attitude, keep our discipline and come out with the right result.”
Enjoy the convenience of having The Sunday Post delivered as a digital ePaper straight to your smartphone, tablet or computer.
Subscribe for only £5.49 a month and enjoy all the benefits of the printed paper as a digital replica.
Subscribe