McCarthy thrilled to link-up with England duo

Southampton new boy Alex McCarthy thinks it’s inevitable he will become a better goalkeeper as he begins work in close proximity to two key members of the England set-up.

The 26-year-old completed a £2m switch from Crystal Palace on Monday, signing a three-year contract and will rival Fraser Forster for the No1 shirt.

The duo will train under the tutelage of head of goalkeeping Dave Watson, who combines his duties at Southampton with work as part of the England senior team’s coaching set up.

And McCarthy, who won three caps for the England Under-21s and was named in the senior squad for two friendlies in May 2013, feels as though he has the best the training partners in the business.

“It was good working with Dave for the few days that I had when I was away with him, so now that I’m going to be working with him day-in, day-out I think we can build a relationship together,” McCarthy said.

(Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

“I’ve had a few chats with him on the phone and I’m excited to start working together with him as I think we can get a real good thing going here.

“He’s worked with Joe Hart and Fraser Forster and everyone has seen what they’ve done and where they’ve gone so I’m looking to follow in their footsteps.

“Fraser’s a great goalkeeper and had a great season last season.

“There’s nothing better than training with someone whose levels are up there because you end up pushing each other further and further to get more out of each other, so I’m really looking forward to it.”