Permanent Celtic deal a possibility for Forster

FRASER FORSTER has declared himself ready to start his Celtic return against Hearts tomorrow — and open to the prospect of coming back to Parkhead on a permanent basis. The 31-year-old goalkeeper has returned to the Scottish champions on a season-long loan from Southampton after falling out of favour at the club he joined five years ago for £10million. Despite playing just once at St Mary’s in the past 20 months, the England international says he feels ready to face Craig Levein’s men if selected. Confident of rediscovering the form that made him such a key part of the first team Neil Lennon built in Glasgow, Forster, whose Southampton contract runs until 2022, admits the prospect of remaining in the city beyond next summer already appeals. ‘Yeah, definitely,’ he replied

when asked if he hoped to stay on. ‘I’d never, ever rule that out. ‘Obviously, I just want to concentrate week-by-week to begin with. ‘But if we have a great year, ultimately, it would come down to the two clubs working it out somehow. ‘This is a fantastic place to play football and, even when I left, I hoped one day I’d come back because that is just the type of club it is. ‘You want to be here as much as you can, so I definitely wouldn’t rule that out. ‘It would be a fantastic thing if that could happen, although that would be out of my hands and there is a lot of football to be played before then.’ More immediately, Forster hopes to make his first appearance back in a Celtic jersey when Hearts arrive at Parkhead tomorrow. ‘I did a full pre-season and played a couple of games, so I am all good to go,’ he added. ‘For me, I just want to get into the team as quickly as possible and start playing again. There are some very good keepers here, obviously, but Bainy’s (Scott Bain) been unlucky with his thumb injury and Craig (Gordon) has been excellent since he came here, so it’s going to be tough for me but competition is good for everyone.’ Meanwhile, Lennon feels the burden of expectation on new signings is greater than it’s ever been. After unconvincing starts to their Celtic careers, both Christopher Jullien and Boli Bolingoli turned in their best displays for the club in the 2-0 Europa League play-off round first-leg win over AIK Stockholm on Thursday. But Lennon, who is primed to make his move for Kilmarnock defender Greg Taylor, feels an element of the support unwittingly put new players under undue pressure by rushing to judgement on their ability. ‘The expectation does take your breath away — more so than ever,’ he said. ‘I have noticed a discernible change since I came back in. The expectation level — sometimes it can be unrealistic.’ Recalling being booed for having the temerity to pass the ball back to keep possession in the UEFA Cup semi-final against Boavista in 2003, Lennon added: ‘I brought that up today for them. I wasn’t too chuffed about the reaction to that one. I dealt with it by getting angry. Look, it happens. ‘They don’t mean it. It is an instinctive reaction at times because they want the team to do well.’ Asked how he prepared new acquisitions for the scrutiny they are subjected to by their own fans, Lennon shrugged: ‘I don’t know how you do that. ‘I have told them a few stories about my time as a player as well. It wasn’t always a

cakewalk for me. It wasn’t always a cakewalk even for the great players here. Everybody got a touch now and again. While it is not nice, you just have to accept it sometimes and deal with it. ‘Sometimes it works for you, sometimes it doesn’t. It doesn’t mean you are a poor player by any means. It just means it is a tough environment. ‘Some people go on to absolutely thrive in it and I am hoping these two do. Sometimes the fans get a little bit anxious but on Thursday I thought they were brilliant.’ A disciplined and composed victory against the Swedes went a long way to bookending the previous week’s defeat to Cluj and may just be the turning point for those summer additions who have yet to fully convince. ‘I think for Jullien and Boli that will hopefully give them confidence,’ added Lennon. ‘I think Jullien (left) was really good, really dominant. The rest of them have been in good form. We just have to maintain our standards. It can’t be easy with the volume of games they have to play and the amount they have had to since they came back. Some of the football was great against a very good side. It was a very professional performance and everyone contributed.’