Much has been made of Stoke City’s Jack Butland this season, who is slowly emerging as a genuine contender to Joe Hart’s previously undisputed position as England Number 1.

West Bromwich Albion’s Ben Foster has also began to stake a claim to be in Roy Hodgson’s after the former Man United stopper returned from injury.

However, another name who has just returned to action is surely pulling out all the stops (pun intended) (sorry for the intended pun) to earn a place in the Euro 2016.

Southampton’s Fraser Forster suffered a gruesome broken kneecap in March of last year and was ruled out for nine months as a result.

The former Celtic custodian risked missing out on the European Championships due to the excellent form shown by both Hart and Butland in recent months.

However, the 26-year old has since returned top level football without missing a beat.

Yet to be breached since he returned in mid-January, he earned a Man of the Match award with an excellent performance against Arsenal.

It’s like he’s never been anyway.

Here are 10 tweets that prove this England star is back and better than ever.

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Players come and players go, as do the managers – we all know that.

However at Manchester United and Liverpool, this coming summer transfer window won’t be wide enough with the amount of comings and goings.

It will be interesting to say the least and a little un-nerving if you are a player at either of those clubs. To suggest that a major overhaul at Liverpool is due is probably an understatement. Klopp has had to work with what he was left with and ultimately, some of the players will possibly not be who he thinks he will need to mount a proper and concentrated assault on the Premier League next season.

Indeed, many of the Liverpool players, don’t look like Liverpool players. Klopp will look to re-shape his squad, but question marks might be asked over his January signing of Steven Caulker. Is this the type of player Klopp wants, and why if he’s going to play him out of position? Was it a knee-jerk reaction to the injury crisis and Anfield at the time?

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Klopp certainly knew his stuff in the Bundesliga and every Liverpool fan will be hoping that he translates that knack to their club for next season. It’s likely he’ll be given more cash and more importantly, he’ll be given time.

As to who goes and stays, it’s anyone’s guess, but nobody will be able to rest on their laurels or their name! One player not making his way to the Premier League will be Alex Teixeira.

He decided that China was far more suitable than playing at Anfield, possibly helped by the extra zero’s on the end of the cheque from the Chinese club. Apart from the Brazilian, Klopp may have lost Joel Matip and Valencia have snatched Denis Cheryshev.

There will be changes, although it appears that after what amounts to a frustrating January window, Klopp is keeping his money safe until July. Rumours are always good and there is always talk of who will come through the Anfield gates, but certainly Klopp has his eye on another goalkeeper in Barcelona’s Marc-Andre ter Stegen. There is believed to be a massive £65m buy-out clause, but Klopp is adamant that he wants him.

Equally, the German has his eyes on former Manchester United man, Javier Hernandez and Real Madrid striker Jese Rodriquez. Other reports suggest Liverpool are readying a £10m bid for German defender Jonas Hector.

It will be a very different Liverpool side to this season. 2015/16 may well be a season to forget on Merseyside, but also the dawning of a new age.

Heading East, Manchester United will likely have a new manager by the summer transfer window. The fact their rivals Man City have announced the biggest managerial signing in Pep Guardiola means that United now need to do something equally as big in terms of the manager.

The fans are looking for a statement of intent from the club and it needs to be huge. Although Louis van Gaal has done his best, his style and man-management isn’t to the taste of the United players. £250m spent and they still cannot get into the top four or stay in the Champions League.

So who you gonna call? Well, Jose Mourinho, that’s who, and let’s face it, it’s another badly kept secret. If it is anyone other than Mourinho, many people will be astounded. His record of achievement stretches across Europe and it’s no secret that he really, really wants the job. He has his heart set on it.

Despite the fact there are as many reasons not to employ him, the man brings success and United desperately need success. United without a trophy is like a trifle without the jelly – something important is missing.

Like Liverpool, there will be an exit door held open in the summer breeze under Mourinho, as the new manager brings in his type of players. It’s interesting to note the lack of transfer activity in January at Old Trafford speaks volumes. The prospective arrival of Jose Mourinho, linked heavily with the United job in recent days, may afford some of the United first-team squad another opportunity to stake their claim for a first-team role.

Despite reported bids of £140m for Barcelona superstar Neymar, United are linked with Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann, but as usual this type of player is subject to interest from many clubs. Plus the fact United used to be able to attract top names and now that has changed.

The name stands proud, but the lack of success is the anchor weighing down the club and that has knock-on effects. Will David De Gea stay or go, will a new manager shed the majority of the first team since the majority do not impress week in, week out? Aymeric Laporte of Athletic Bilbao, Real Madrid’s Raphael Varane and Everton’s John Stones are three options in defence for United, but that is supposing it is Mourinho coming in and he wants those players. What if Pochettino comes in? Would he entice Harry Kane?

There are so many possibilities, so sit back and enjoy because this summer is going to be one of the hottest.

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Unless you are a fan of Italian football or play FIFA regularly with Roma, then the name Alessandro Florenzi may not mean too much. But he is quickly being regarded as yet another great footballer to have come from Italy, and at the age of 25, is about to hit the peak of his career.

With big teams such as Manchester United reportedly circling round the Italian, is he good enough for a move away from Serie A?

With six goals and two assists in 26 games, he has had a really good season for Roma, who currently sit third in the Serie A table. It has been a good season in the Champions League too, with the team making it to the round of 16, only to lose to Real Madrid. Florenzi scored a spectacular goal against Barcelona in the group stages, announcing himself to the world.

In a team that contains great talent like Stephan El Shaaraway, Mohamed Salah and Miralem Pjanic, it is hard to get into the first team squad. However, Florenzi has the talent to be a mainstay within the first team. The first thing a manager would love about the Italian is his flexibility.

It’s this flexibility which has seen him preferred in the team to experienced right back Maicon. For a team like Manchester United, Florenzi would be welcomed with open arms, with wingers Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young themselves being drafted in as wing backs.

But there is more to Florenzi’s game, with the player able to play anywhere across the midfield, whether that be behind the striker, on the wing or in the middle of the park. It is this kind of player that every manager craves in his team.

Though Serie A is often seen as an uncompetitive league, Florenzi has proven himself for Roma on the bigger stage. As mentioned earlier, the Italian excelled against Barcelona in September, grabbing the crucial goal which gave the Giallorossi a share of the points.

For his country he has been in and around the squad, making a start in midfield in the last game. Considering his fellow countryman Matteo Darmian has settled in so well at Old Trafford, a move to United would not be a completely odd move. United desperately crave a young blooded midfielder who can both create chances but defend at the same time.

Though the signing of Memphis Depay was meant to brighten up United’s play, he has struggled to settle in and instead Anthony Martial has ended up on the wing instead of upfront. The signing of Florenzi could benefit Depay, and if he links up well with Darmian, then fans could be in for an exciting time.

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Liverpool’s 4-3 comeback over Borussia Dortmund in midweek, sealing a 5-4 aggregate victory, was arguably the Reds’ greatest European night since their equally unforgettable and whimsical win in the 2005 Champions League final.

And the sheer highs the players felt on Thursday night appears to have strongly influenced Jurgen Klopp’s team selection for today’s Premier League visit to Bournemouth – kickoff at 1.30pm. Indeed, the official starting Xis hit Twitter around half an hour ago and the Anfield gaffer has felt compelled to make a whopping ten changes, as shown below:

Fans are always pleased to see academy players given a chance at first team level and after such an intense game in midweek, it’s understandable that Klopp has decided to essentially give his usual suspects the night off, but not everybody is quite on board with the Reds boss on this shock starting Xi. Here are some of the best responses from Twitter:

Celtic are entering a key transfer window. With a change in manager often comes a heavy turnaround of players and reports have suggested that Brendan Rodgers could have up to £15m to spend.

With question marks over the depth of the Hoops’ striking department, fans’ dissatisfaction with the midfield’s performance over the last year and some experienced squad members rumoured to be on their way out, the new manager has a task on his hand to rebuild the squad into a Champions League calibre outfit.

We’ve picked out FIVE transfers that we think could have a massive impact on the Celtic first team…

Steven Fletcher

The Sunderland striker is on his way out of the Stadium of Light with his contract expiring this summer, which could finally trigger a Celtic move. He has been heavily linked with Celtic twice, back in 2009 before he left Hibernian and again in this year’s January transfer window.

He’s spent 2016 on loan at Marseille, chipping in with three goals and getting plenty of game time.

While not a prolific scorer in the mould of poacher Leigh Griffiths, the Scottish international could be a key foil for Griffiths at the tip of the Hoops’ attack. He would certainly add depth to the position with Celtic lacking options in the event that 40 goal Griffiths becomes unavailable.

Mohamed Elyounoussi

Celtic fans know all about Mohamed Elyounoussi. He scored twice against the Hoops in this season’s UEFA Europa League, both home and away, breaking green and white hearts.

The dynamic Molde attacker could be the man to revitalise a Celtic front four that has been frustrating to watch at times in the Scottish Premiership.

He was linked with the Hoops in the January transfer window in a reported £2m deal. That could be a bargain with the likes of Leicester City sniffing around the Norwegian international as a potential replacement for Riyad Mahrez.

Only 21 and with over 50 senior goals to his name already, this could be a player that the Bhoys rue missing out on if he moves elsewhere.

Kolbeinn Sigthorsson

Kolbeinn Sigthorsson is an experienced striker and could be a player that gives Celtic an edge in European competition.

The Icelandic international enjoyed five seasons in the Eredivisie with AZ Alkmaar and Ajax before heading to Nantes last summer. Things haven’t been so rosy in France, but his scoring pedigree in seasons prior is enough to convince us he could make an impact at Celtic.

He was linked with a move to Glasgow in January for a reported £2.5m after falling out of favour at Nantes. That price could be a steal considering he’s a key member of the Iceland squad heading to EURO 2016 – a side who finished above Netherlands and Turkey in qualifying.

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Ivan Mocinic

With Stefan Johansen not reaching the heights of his Player Of The Year rated season of 2014/15 this time around and with captain Scott Brown not getting any younger, Celtic could do with some fresh blood in the heart of midfield.

Step forward Ivan Mocinic, a player who can add presence and leadership in the middle of the park. The 23 year old is captain of his club HNK Rijeka and made his debut for Croatia in November.

Celtic defender Jozo Simunovic seems to rate him. After speculation linking Mocinic to Celtic this season, compatriot Simunovic told reporters that the midfielder had all the qualities to be a success in Glasgow.

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Anthony Limbombe

Patrick Roberts has added much needed width to Celtic’s attack in recent months but with Anthony Limbombe on the other side, the Bhoys could be an even more formidable outfit.

The 21 year old is a star attraction for Eredivisie side NEC Nijmegen and is reported to have been watched this season by scouts from Celtic, PSV, Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund.

Quick and direct, the winger could be a difference maker against packed defences in the Scottish Premiership. He knows how to find the net too, with 21 goals in two seasons.

Now could be the time to make a move before bigger clubs come calling.

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Liverpool have started pre-season well this summer and manager Jurgen Klopp is busy building his squad for the upcoming season.

It is the first time the German manager has had the chance to craft a squad to his liking since taking the reigns at Anfield and he hasn’t hesitated in bringing in new faces.

We’ve already seen Sadio Mane, Loris Karius, Ragnar Klavan, and Joel Matip come in but we expect there to be more additions before the summer is up.

And one thing we can’t rule out at this stage is whether Jurgen is planning to raid Merseyside neighbours Everton, who endured an extremely turbulent season last time out.

Now playing under Ronald Koeman, the Toffees will expect big improvements from an side that widely underachieved last season- but could Liverpool move for some of these players that have undoubted quality, even when they’re not in fantastic form?

Sometimes, it’s not well-liked by supporters but if a player is doing a good job for your side, there is little you can do but get behind him as the season goes on.

So with that in mind, here’s THREE names Liverpool could cherry pick from Everton this summer…

Romelu Lukaku

A rather straight-forward one this in all honesty. If Liverpool are looking for a sure-fire replacement for exiled Christian Benteke and Mario Balotelli, then there are few better than Romelu Lukaku.

Even with his Everton team-mates misfiring last season, the Belgian international still weighed in with 25 goals- his biggest career haul yet.

But his future is riddled with uncertainty- he actively exclaimed he was looking for a move away from Goodison Park when Roberto Martinez was at the helm, but could Koeman persuade him to stay?

If not, then expect some top sides to start prowling- and one could be Liverpool. Their supporters are looking for a big-name signing to compete with the likes of Chelsea and Lukaku seriously fits the bill.

Tom Davies

A name not all will be familiar with, but Everton youngster Tom Davies is one of the hottest young midfielders in England, and he would be a real coup if Liverpool could tempt him away from Goodison.

Whilst he’s only appeared once for the Everton first-team, Davies has excelled in the clubs’ youth teams, where he was promoted to the U21s last season.

Good performances will no doubt have caught the eye, and the 18-year-old has already been included in the senior pre-season training squad.

One for the future.

John Stones

Stones endured a pretty tough end to last season as some Evertonians began to question his true quality in the heart of the defence.

Some jittery performances did little to settle the nerves of some supporters, and the England international quickly lost his place in the side, despite being linked with a move to Barcelona.

However, with age comes maturity and it is essential to remember that Stones is only 22-years-old, and has his whole career ahead of him.

Whilst a move to Liverpool may be seen as unlikely, some feel Jurgen Klopp needs to make a real statement in the transfer market at some point this summer.

The fans want to see healthy competition with the leagues’ other strong sides, and a move for Stones would no-doubt appease some nerves held by Reds’ supporters.

Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool revolution keeps rolling on.

The German manager has brought in a host of new talent this summer as he looks to build his Liverpool side in his own image, and as he looks to bring his side back up to the pinnacle of the Premier League.

Some top players have already been signed, Sadio Mane and Joel Matip to name just a few, and the Liverpool first team will no doubt bring a new era of talent and freshness to the Premier League next year.

However, in order to make room for these new players – current Liverpool stars must be sold. Either through lack of form or simply as a result of circumstance; a host of Liverpool players will be facing the Anfield exit door this summer.

With that, here are FIVE players that Liverpool MUST replace this summer.

Alberto Moreno

This is an easy one.

Last season was a calamitous campaign for Moreno. In a position that demands reliability and solidity; Moreno was about as useful as a chocolate teapot.

Always prone to a mistake, and rarely offering much defensively; Moreno must be replaced by someone that is more adept to solidifying the left hand side of the Liverpool defence.

Simon Mignolet

A similar story here; Simon Mignolet is simply too error prone to play a role for Liverpool going forward.

New keeper Loris Karius has been brought in, but his quality remains uncertain; and even so it seems unlikely that Mignolet will be happy to play second fiddle to Liverpool’s new number 1.

As a back up keeper you want someone reliable and content to play second fiddle; Mignolet is neither of those things.

Christian Benteke

Christian Benteke has been linked with a move abroad for months; and it is imperative that Liverpool make it happen.

£32million was paid for his services, alongside a healthy wage packet; and Benteke has done very little to prove his worth. He has been inconsistent and injury prone during his spell, and Liverpool need to cut their losses and move on.

Liverpool’s strike force is easily the weakest part of the first team, and with Daniel Sturbridge often prone to injuries; the club need someone reliable to back him up. Benteke is not that guy.

Mario Balotelli

A similar situation with Mario Balotelli.

Jurgen Klopp has already told the Italian forward that he has no future at Anfield, and that he will be sold as soon as possible.

It is important that Liverpool look to replace the forgotten forward, with the team in desperate need of attacking firepower.

Both Balotelli and Benteke are risks that haven’t paid off; the club need to replace them both and invest in reliable firepower.

Lucas Leiva

Lucas Leiva has been an excellent servant for Liverpool over the last few years; but his time at the club must come to an end soon.

In recent years he has found himself playing less than less, and though he did well playing out of position towards the end of last year; Liverpool’s new arrivals likely mean there will be no space in the first team going forward.

He should look to finish his career at a stable club where he will feel valued as a first team performer.

Liverpool should look to bulk out their midfield in place of Leiva.

“Today Wayne played wherever he wanted to, he was brilliant and controlled midfield. I can’t stop Wayne playing there.” These are not the words not of a pundit reacting to Wayne Rooney’s latest performance in an England shirt, but those of the new Three Lions manager, Sam Allardyce.

When asked about the Manchester United man’s future role in Allardyce’s set-up he also said it’s “not for me to say”. These comments suggest the former Sunderland man is unprepared and that he hasn’t done his homework on his players, but that cannot be further from the truth.

Allardyce is a man who gives great attention to stats and player characteristics, there is no chance he wasn’t ready going into this new role. Evidently, he also knows the best position for every other player in the England squad, so what is the issue with Rooney?

It’s a problem that has rumbled on for large parts of his career and tells a story of a player whose talent has been prodigious yet unfulfilled. Where Rooney should play is a question that will continue to run on until he retires, so here at FootballFanCast we thought we’d throw our hat into the ring too and look at why Rooney should be only playing up top for England – whether that means he’s in the best XI or not.

When the England captain broke onto the scene for Everton, everyone sat up and took notice. Here was a player with the sheer audacity to make a fool of Patrick Vieira and his Arsenal team-mates as he crashed a swirling effort past David Seaman. He soon made a name for himself at EURO 2004, too, and secured a move to Manchester United as he quickly cemented his place for both club and country. He did all of this as a teenager and when you compare him to the players seen as England’s future now – Ross Barkley, Dele Alli, Harry Kane and Marcus Rashford for example – his talent was truly special.

So where did it go wrong? And by wrong, we’re not saying he’s had a bad career, he’s England’s top scorer. He’s going to be Manchester United’s top scorer as well, and he’s won everything there is to win at club level – the only bad thing is that he hasn’t been utilised properly. The problem stopping Rooney from fully reaching his potential is that that the potential was so big in the first place.

The great Johan Cruyff was of the opinion the best players can play anywhere on the pitch and it was on this he based his footballing philosophy. Now, consider the Manchester United man. He can play up front, he can play off the main striker, he can play on the left and on the right of an attacking midfield and of course in the middle as a central attacking midfielder. Then, he showed for United last season he can do a job as a deep lying midfielder, and that threw in more questions – perhaps this is his new role?

It turned out it wasn’t and Rooney took more flak when really we should’ve been looking at why arguably the most talented footballer this country has produced since Paul Gascoigne was being pegged into all kinds of different roles.

The main reason Rooney has been shoehorned here there and everywhere is a combination of his ability to do a job anywhere and his selflessness. Say what you want about him, he’s never going to say ‘no’ to playing somewhere even if it’s not his position, and this has led him to being used all over the place to varying degrees of success when really his best position is at the top of the field.  Of course, he can play where he wants, given his talent, but that doesn’t mean he should be allowed to.

One criticism of Rooney is that he wants to come deep and influence the game when he’s not getting the service up top – that is the nature of someone with his ability – but it should be his manager that ensures this doesn’t happen. If you have to force it into him until he gets it then so be it because when Rooney did play up front and stayed there, he was devastating.

In 2009 United saw Cristiano Ronaldo join Real Madrid and attention at the club turned to how they were going to cope with the void of goals he left behind. Rooney went up front as the main man to step in and duly delivered. It was the first time in his career he’d scored over 20 goals in the league in one season as he hit 26 and it looked as though he’d finally found his role, he was an out and out striker and was proving thus. The common phrase in the media is that you need a 25+ goals a season striker to win you trophies and United had had one being played out of position in the seasons previous. He did the same again in 2011/12 after a blip the season prior amid contract negotiations, hitting 27 goals this time, leaving United with a striker who finally looked like he’d found his position… and then they signed Robin Van Persie.

Van Persie, of course, was a good signing but thinking more selfishly it ruined Rooney’s chance to stake his claim as the main striker – the Dutchman was never going to play anywhere else and it was the factor once again, that Rooney is a far better player than most, that saw him drop back into the 10 role. He scored just 12 Premier League goals in the ensuing season.

For those couple of seasons as the main striker though Rooney showed the talent he had. Those seasons were his personal best ones regardless of team achievements and that’s why he should be up top for England.

Allardyce loves stats, you only have to look at Rooney’s to see where he truly belongs. Yes, he can play in midfield but he could probably play as a centre-half if you asked him. Where he truly influences games, though, is as a number 9.

Whether or not this happens for the national team is up for a debate. It’d probably be considered a step backwards, but can a step back to the Rooney that broke 20-goals-a-season or to the one who led the line with Michael Owen at EURO 2004 be a bad thing?

If it is then Rooney should call it quits because it’s getting tiresome watching a player of his talent getting used wrongly simply because he’s versatile.

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If anything, the performance we saw from Arsenal in their Champions League game was very much what we’ve come to expect from the Gunners in recent years.

They were on the back foot for the entirety of the game against PSG in France but thanks to a second-half strike from Alexis Sanchez, Arsene Wenger’s men came away with a fantastic 1-1 draw. The French champions had plenty of chances to put Arsenal to bed, but failed to capitalise on their dominance throughout.

And whilst a point away from home against the toughest team in the group is a massive plus for Arsenal, other teams in the tournament will ruthlessly expose the shortcomings that we saw on Tuesday evening.

So with that in mind, if Arsenal are to enjoy any sort of Champions League success this season, they must do these three things.

Football FanCast author Hayden Atkins takes us through three things Arsenal must do to improve their chances of Champions League success…

Tighten up at the back

Nothing was more apparent in the game than Arsenal’s complete inability to defend. Credit the Gunners, they somehow hung on with a mixture of luck and goodwill but when the equaliser came, their defensive game was completely wrong.

The Arsenal midfield – the likes of Mesut Ozil and Santi Cazorla just didn’t close down quickly enough and it left Marco Verratti to enjoy yards of space infront of him for the whole game.

If Arsenal don’t tighten up, then the best teams will take advantage of them – think of Barcelona’s crushing of Celtic.

Sort out the imbalance in the team

For the whole of the game in France, Arsenal just seemed unbalanced throughout. There was something missing, an anchor perhaps, or a player that can really hold the fort in the middle of the park.

Even when Granit Xhaka came on it felt rather hectic off the ball and it’s an imbalance that needs to be sorted extremely quickly. Arsenal have a whole wealth of exciting, attacking talent – we know that, but if they don’t have the scrappers that can do the ugly side of the game, it’s not going to work for them in Europe this season.

We need to have more faith in their goalkeepers

Whilst Arsenal keeper David Ospina made some fantastic saves to keep the likes of Edinson Cavani and Angel di Maria at bay, it was still evidently clear that not all Gunners fans have total faith in David Ospina.

He was forced into a series of blocks after sloppy play from the defenders in front of him and he made a fantastic save from a Di Maria corner. But he was rash coming of his line at times and was lucky to see Cavani miss a handful of efforts the Uruguayan really should have scored.

He just needs to sure up a little and really instil a sense of confidence between the sticks. He wasn’t the biggest problem on the night for the Gunners.

The Everton fans in the Football Transfer Tavern have had some great defenders over the years…

In a league as attacking as the Premier League, having a solid defence is the most important part of a successful team.

From Stones to Baines, the Blues have often been blessed with a solid defensive line.

However, some poor defenders have definitely slipped through the cracks – and Everton have very nearly paid the ultimate price on a number of occasions.

The Everton fans in the Football Transfer Tavern have put together a list of some of the worst over the years – and it has proven a very controversial list to make.

There have been some very divisive Everton defenders over the last 10 years, it seems.

With that said, these THREE are the worst Everton defenders of the last 10 years….

 Tony Hibbert

This one was a very controversial one in the Tavern, give the massive respect that Everton fans have for their veteran defender.

However, the reality is that Tony Hibbert was never very good.

Granted, he was an excellent servant – but he was a hugely limited footballer and was extremely one dimensional.

His technical ability was next to zero, and on the ball he was largely inefficient.

He was strong off the ball and was decent at reading the game; but that’s about it.

Very controversial, but even the Everton fans in the Tavern can agree that dedicated service doesn’t make you a good footballer.

Philippe Senderos

Whilst Hibbert drew up a few mixed reviews in the Tavern, the same cannot be said for Philippe Senderos.

The Everton fans in the Tavern are united in their feelings towards the Swiss defender.

The nomadic defender joined Everton in January of 2010, and he failed to make an impression on Merseyside.

He made just 2 league appearances for the club before departing after failing to cement himself in the Everton first team.

Lacking the technical ability necessary to be a top defender; Senderos simply was not good enough – as evidenced by his inability to hold down a regular side in England.

 Alessandro Pistone

Alessandro Pistone stayed at Everton for a whopping 7 years – and the Everton fans in the Tavern have no idea how he lasted that long!

Whilst he did achieve somewhat of a cult following at the club, his spell on Merseyside was marred by inconsistency and injury – and that is how the majority of the Everton faithful in the Tavern remember him.

He unsuccessfully tried to hold down a spot at both Newcastle and Everton after failing to replicate his Serie A form in England – and his transfer to Everton was nothing less than a failure.