Some Saints fans have been very vocal on social media in their criticism of Fraser Forster, however it is emerging that the keeper has been playing even though not 100% through necessity.
Some Saints fans have been very harsh on Fraser Forster who seems to have become the latest scapegoat for those who always seem to have to have a player to blame whether Saints are winning or losing.
But it seems that Forster could well be more hero than villain as reports from soureces close to the football club are suggesting that the England stopper has been playing through the pain barrier for a number of months due to the fact that Saints had no viable alternative to replace him.
Certainly Forster has not been as mobile as he has been in the past, although those that blame him for certain goals have often been too harsh in their criticism, especially those who say he should have stopped a point blank header from Ibrahimovic on Sunday for the United winner.
But without Forster playing through the pain, Saints would surely not have been in the League cup final and indeed may well have lost several games that they have gained points from of late, although Forster is not 100% his presence is still enough to help inspire and motivate his team mates as well as deter the opposition, therefore Claude Puel opted to use the England keeper rather than the alternatives.
If Alex McCarthy has been fit then he would almost have certainly have been in the side to give Forster the time to recover from his injury, but with McCarthy on the long term list himself the only other options were Stuart Taylor who to be blunt has barely played in a decade or Harry Lewis who is still not experienced enough to be thrown into the Premier League.
That meant that Saints had to wait till the transfer window to sign a keeper and this they did with Mouez Hassan arriving during the window.
Of course they weren't going to throw Hassan into the deep end with Forster having gritted his teeth through a mountain of games in quick succession, he was not going to miss the final, but now gives the club a chance to rest the number one keeper between the sticks.
For obvious reasons this was an issue that the club had to keep under wraps, so as to not give any opponents an advantage.
So I would expect Hassan to be in to face Watford on Saturday and Forster rested, this would then give him three clear weeks of rest between Wembley and our trip to Tottenham, if a little more was needed if he was again rested for the trip to White Hart Lane then he would have another fortnight of recuperation.
So those who have been slating Forster of late should reflect on the fact the keeper has been unable to get 100% fit out of necessity to play games thick and fast over the past 3-4 months, indeed when a keeper knows he is not right that can affect all parts of his game, goalkeeper is a confidence position and when you have an injury that affects all parts of your game, not just areas directly influnced by an injury.
But o his credit Fraser has not shirked the task, he has not hid and now he can get a well earned rest and come back 100% and able to get back to his old form.