Trying to make a name for himself in football, Fraser Forster surely tired of observers telling him not to spend as much time on the bench as his esteemed father; Forster senior is a QC and circuit judge.

Forster junior, the one with the gloves, had to make the move from Newcastle to Celtic to stop that from happening.

He has not only grown into the No.1 position with the Parkhead side, he has furthered his reputation as a goalkeeper to the extent that he has won call-ups to Roy Hodgson's England squad over the last few months.

It is ironic, then, that he could be hankering now for the chance of some bench time with his country.

Whether he will go on to genuinely challenge Joe Hart for the main position remains to be seen, but any English player plying their trade in Glasgow and forcing their way into the national squad has to really catch the eye.

Just ask Chris Sutton and Alan Thompson.

And former Celtic and Republic of Ireland keeper Packie Bonner believes that aiming to establish himself as the No.2 for England is where Forster should currently set his sights.

"To me that is the area he should be looking at just now," said Bonner. "He has a fight on his hands because there are a few in there who are looking for it, but right now there is not an out-and-out back-up England keeper to Joe Hart.

"I believe Hart is an exceptional talent. He has superb ability.

"If I were in Fraser's position just now, I'd be looking to nail that back-up position and take it from there.

"There are a number of keepers like Ben Foster, Robert Green and John Ruddy who are all looking for it, but there is not a lot between them at all."

Forster's progress with Celtic is perhaps all the more remarkable considering that he only took up goalkeeping at the tender age of 13.

Until then he favoured cricket and rugby, sports that were encouraged at the fee-paying Newcastle Royal Grammar School where he attended as a youngster.

Even in his teens, Forster was thought to be too small to have any realistic hopes of making it as a keeper.

"I didn't start growing until I was 15 and then I didn't stop," joked the giant 6ft 7in goalkeeper.

A late developer who left Newcastle with a point to prove, Forster is indeed still developing.

And Bonner believes that the experience of international football can only enhance his ability as a keeper, whether he plays or not.

HE SAID: "Look at the names that he is training alongside this week – Wayne Rooney, Theo Walcott, Steven Gerrard.

"The whole thing will open his eyes a little bit and stretch him that wee bit more."

Yet, while Forster was truly outstanding throughout Celtic's Champions League campaign, he seems to have dipped recently since coming back into the side from a neck injury.

Neil Lennon revealed last weekend that the keeper had a slight groin injury and certainly he doesn't seem to have recaptured the form he has shown for much of this term.

"That's natural," said Bonner. "You have to remember what a big guy he is and it does take time to come back from injury.

"I was at Lennoxtown a few weeks ago and I have to say that I couldn't believe the size of him – and I'm a pretty big guy myself.

"Fraser is an intimidating keeper because of his size.

"He has made a few mistakes recently, but I think that he has earned the right to do that because of the way he has played."

BONNER added: "He works very hard off the field, he must, because to be mobile and flexible when you are as big as that takes a lot of effort.

"He has shown that he can handle the pressure in the Champions League, he has great reflexes and he is a natural keeper. But it is all about consistency and pushing yourself to be the best that you can be.

"The key component, though, is confidence. Playing well breeds that and it is vital for a goalkeeper that you feel confident walking on to the pitch.

"Fraser has had that in abundance this season and he has definitely kicked on and improved. It is up to him how much he can develop."

In that respect, Forster would benefit perhaps from having a back-up keeper at Celtic who can push him.

And Bonner would ideally love to see one of the youngsters from the club's own set-up pushing through and putting pressure on the Englishman.

"In some respects it can hinder you if there is no genuine chance of you being dropped," he said. "It does seem that there is not much of a chance of Lukas Zaluska being called into the team.

"I do think it is good to have two very strong keepers pushing one another, but on the other hand the last thing you need is for the manager to chop and change things and no-one really knows who the No.1 is – that is a really unsettling position to be in.

"My hope is that over the next 18 months or so that we might see one of the young players at the club coming to the fore a little."