2. He Comes Recommended By The Best
It's one thing for pundits and lists like this to single Forster out for praise, but his performances have also been drawing attention from those in the know within the game. During his final year as Man United boss, Sir Alex Ferguson reportedly held Forster in high enough regard that he was
keeping tabs on the keeper as a possible replacement for David De Gea before the latter's good run of form saw him cement himself in the team. Meanwhile, after Forster's Celtic faced Barcelona in the Champions League, Barca's Brazilian right back Dani Alves was effusive in his praise of the English goalkeeper. Alves described Forster as
"fantastic" and suggested that the Catalan giants were, like Man United the year before, seriously considering bringing Forster in as their new keeper. "Only the club can answer how accurate the reports are on the interest in Forster but if they are true it doesnt surprise me," Alves told assembled press after the game, suggesting that Forster would be an ideal replacement for current Barca shot stopper Victor Valdes when the latter leaves at the end of this season. Forster's biggest admirer, though, is the man regularly described as the world's best goalkeeper for the best part of a decade: Gianluigi Buffon. In the build up to the Champions League match between Celtic and Buffon's Juventus last year, Buffon suggested that Forster had the potential to be one of the best young keepers in the world, describing him as a keeper with authority and confidence who didn't look like making any mistakes. With mistakes being the big talking point after Hart's performance against Bayern Munich, Buffon has
once again weighed in this week to say:
"I think it is time now for England to give Forster a chance. He has proved he can handle the big games and the pressure situations. If the England coach is picking his team on form then Fraser is his only option".