RUBEN Selles has shared his verdict on Alex McCarthy after the experienced shot-stopper was chosen to replace Gavin Bazunu as Saints’ starting goalkeeper in recent weeks.

Signed from Manchester City last summer, Bazunu has struggled in his maiden Premier League season, making a raft of mistakes while keeping only four clean sheets.

And after starting the first 32 games of the season, Bazunu was dropped for the recent home defeat to Bournemouth before McCarthy continued as Selles’s number one for last weekend’s trip to Newcastle United.

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It’s expected that McCarthy will keep his place for Monday night’s visit to Nottingham Forest particularly after Selles spoke positively about the 33-year-old on Friday afternoon.

"I think he's been going well," Selles said of McCarthy. "I think he's a player that is important for us. He showed his captaincy when Prowsey could not continue against Bournemouth and he is an important player for the dressing room but also for our way to play.

"I think the goalkeepers are all competitive and he's getting his chances and he's playing as good as the team."

McCarthy has endured a tough couple of seasons at St Mary’s, losing his place to Fraser Forster for much of the second half of the 2021/22 campaign before seeing the youthful Bazunu start ahead of him for the bulk of this term.

But he’s been handed a late opportunity to prove his worth both to his current team and to potential suitors when the summer transfer window opens next month.