By Paul Robinson

18th Oct, 2019 | 1:38pm

'Clearly an issue there' - Exclusive: Paul Robinson can't believe demotion of Celtic giant

Paul Robinson has expressed his disbelief that Fraser Forster was so far down the Southampton pecking order before being rescued by Celtic.

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the ex-England goalkeeper can’t believe the Saints tied Forster to a five-year contract and weeks later demoted him to third-choice keeper.

Forster could not even get in the Southampton squad for most of last season, with Alex McCarthy and Angus Gunn the top two keepers.

Celtic took advantage of Forster’s availability to sign him on a season-long loan in August after Scott Bain dislocated his finger.

“If the manager can get him back to playing his best football, yes it’s a cracking signing,” ex-Tottenham and Leeds United keeper Robinson told Football Insider. “It was a really strange one for me at Southampton, he signed a new five-year deal and then never played again after a couple of weeks after that.

“There was clearly an issue there, what that issue was we don’t know, his dip in form, but to go from somebody having the level of ability and to play how he did, getting into the England squad, and then all of a sudden to go on the bench and then go missing and not have any drive to get back into playing is a surprise.”

Forster, who stands at 6ft 7in, had once again begun this season as third-choice at Southampton behind McCarthy and Gunn.

Since rejoining Celtic, he was immediately installed as number one after leapfrogging the long-serving former first choice Craig Gordon.

Forster has made eight appearances for the Hoops in his second spell at the club, keeping three clean sheets and conceding six goals.

In other Celtic news, it can be REVEALED that a 23-goal top flight attacker is “desperate” to move to Parkhead in January after terms agreed.