FORMER Saints goalkeeper Paul Jones is looking forward to the competition between Fraser Forster and Alex McCarthy between the sticks next season.

Jones has backed McCarthy to shine again next term but expects Forster to rebuild some confidence and compete for the number one jersey.

McCarthy replaced Forster half way through 2017/18 after the latter struggled badly for form.

The former Crystal Palace shot stopper, who arrived at Saints for £2m in August 2016, quickly established himself and produced some fantastic displays, helping the club to Premier League survival.

“Alex has done brilliantly and I don’t think there’s a problem with the keeper situation at all,” said Jones, who made 223 appearances for Saints between 1997 and 2004.

Forster is one of Saints’ highest earners and had been undisputed first choice stopper, when fit, since his £10m move from Celtic in 2014.

But the giant 30-year-old’s form took a nosedive in 2017 and, eventually, Mauricio Pellegrino turned to McCarthy after Forster conceded five goals at Tottenham on Boxing Day.

“He just looked like he lacked confidence, for one reason or another,” Jones said.

“He came back from his injury and he did brilliantly. It’s always that next step again, you know, he was involved with the England set-up.

“Things just started to go wrong, chopping and changing in front of you doesn’t help and maybe he lacked confidence.”

McCarthy, 28, is full of confidence at the moment but Jones expects Forster to find some of his undoubted quality again and put the pressure on his counterpart.

Saints boss Mark Hughes stuck with McCarthy when he took over in March from Pellegrino and will very likely keep with the former Reading man as number one going into the new campaign.

“Alex has come in and done very well and hopefully between the two of them they’ll be competing, which will just improve the situation for Saints,” Jones said.

“I just think from what he’s done at the end of the season, he’ll start and go from there.

“But you’ve got two very good goalkeepers.”

The 51-year-old is a former team-mate of Hughes, having played with the St Mary’s chief at Saints in the late 1990s and with Wales.

“I played with Mark at Southampton and with Wales and Mark managed me at Wales when I was playing and the he has is that passion,” he said.

“The guy loves football and he’s got a very passionate backroom staff as well.

“That all breeds confidence and I’m sure if you spoke to the players they’d say the same thing.

“They’ve got that belief now and that’s what football is all about. You can be the best player in the world but if you haven’t got any confidence it can kick you in the teeth.”