Southampton and England goalkeeper Fraser Forster ruled out for season

England goalkeeper Fraser Forster has been ruled out for the rest of the season following surgery on a knee injury, Southampton announced on Wednesday evening.

The 27-year-old was taken off on a stretcher during Saturday's Barclays Premier League game against Burnley at St Mary's Stadium following an awkward fall after colliding Sam Vokes.

Scans showed damage to the player’s left patellar tendon, with the usual time-frame for recovery from this type of injury between nine months and a year.

Southampton confirmed on the club’s official website: “Forster will be ruled out for the rest of the season. A long-term prediction of when he will return will be made in due course.”

The former Celtic stopper had been in fine form since his transfer last summer, earning a place in the English squad which now looks set to be filled by West Ham's Rob Green as West Brom's Ben Foster has also been ruled out for the upcoming matches against Lithuania and Italy.