Fraser Forster: Celtic is a special place - Moussa Dembele and others shouldn't rush to leave

Forster, though, believes Dembele - and any other Celtic players who might be considering moving on this summer - should take their time before reaching a decision, believing the draw of Champions League football is something no player should ever take for granted.

The goalkeeper spent four seasons at Celtic before signing for Southampton where he is first choice and now a regular in the England squad. He still looks back fondly on his time at Parkhead as “something very special” and hopes the current side are just as appreciative of what they have.

Read more: Celtic striker Leigh Griffiths eyeing Champions League return

He said: “It all depends on your situation but you can’t ever be in a hurry to leave a club like Celtic.

“When you are there, you need to love every minute of it. It’s such a unique club that it would have to been something really special to find something like what Celtic can give you.

“That is especially the case at the moment. Look at what Brendan is doing and how the club is moving forward. When you are at Celtic, you get an opportunity to play Champions League and very few players get to do that.

“Very few players in England get to do it and those are fantastic night at Celtic Park, playing in front of those fans. It’s something very special and you can never take that for granted. I would never be encouraging people to leave in a hurry.

“When that opportunity does come, it needs to be the right move for you. But ultimately the club will decide when that happens.”

Forster credits his time as Celtic as key in kick-starting his career, a theme Scott Sinclair has repeated this season. The forward came north last summer after a difficult few years in English football and ended the campaign with three trophies and a glut of player of the year awards. Forster thinks others should look at Sinclair’s success and make a similar move, believing they would “fall in love with the club”.

Read more: Celtic striker Leigh Griffiths eyeing Champions League return

He added: “I would definitely recommend Celtic to any player. There is a massive appeal to go there.

“You are constantly competing for trophies, you have the Champions League and you have the support and fanbase. It’s a unique club and a lot of people don’t realise how big it is until they see it for themselves.

“It’s a fantastic club and I would always recommend people to go. When they get there, they would just fall in love with the club.”

Many of Forster’s former Celtic team-mates have gone on to have hugely successful careers, with Victor Wanyama earning a £12m move to Tottenham Hotspur. Now it looks as if Virgil van Dijk will be the next to advance his career, with Liverpool having been linked previously with a big-money bid for the defender.

Forster added: “Am I surprised Virgil’s been spoken about as a £60m player? No. Not when you have played with him. I saw him early at Celtic and he just cruised through games.

“Everything was effortless and then he came down to England, and he’s been fantastic. It’s a real credit to him. He’s shown everyone that he’s one of – if not the – best defender in the Premier League. He’s great on the ball and it’s hard to find players like him at centre half.”