With a new man in the England hot seat in the shape of Sam Allardyce, combined with the lack of first team minutes for rival keeper Joe Hart in the opening weeks of the season, Forster would have been hopeful of claiming the number one spot as a new era of English football begins. 

However, this setback in the last 24 hours has posed problems for Forster, his country and perhaps even his club. 

The Injury

After a solid yet unspectacular start to the new Premier League season, Forster headed off to international duty with every chance that he could challenge Hart's position as the Three Lion's first choice keeper. 

Yet unfortunately for the 28 year-old, his latest trip up to England's training ground St George's Park ended prematurely, as he was forced to return to the South Coast after suffering an injury to his arm. The knock means that Forster will be unavailable for England's trip to Slovakia this weekend, with an exact date of return for the shot-stopper yet to be made clear.

Forster had a good season for Southampton last season, making this setback even harder to take. Photo: SkySports
Forster had a good season for Southampton last season, making this setback even harder to take. Photo: SkySports

The consequences for Forster

This injury will be a bitter pill to swallow for the Southampton man, who made up for lost time in the second half of last season with a string of eye-catching performances following his return from the best part of a year out with another injury. 

After deputising to Hart for so long, it finally seemed like Forster's hard work would be rewarded as England look to rebuild after the humiliating Euro 2016 exit at the hands of Iceland, in which Hart was specifically slammed for a couple of high-profile mistakes.

Joe Hart's England future has been under threat. Photo: Daily Star.
Joe Hart's England future has been under threat. Photo: Daily Star.

Although with Man City keeper Hart, who completed a loan move to Italian club Torino yesterday in his pursuit of a starting place, now set to continue as England's man between the sticks, Forster will be forced to recover  overcome disappointment again.

VAVEL Logo
About the author