How Ben Foster's loan at Wrexham in 2005 convinced Sir Alex Ferguson to sign him for Man United
Ben Foster has now hit the headlines after dramatically coming out of retirement to join Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney at Wrexham.
The 39-year-old retired back in September 2022 after his contract with Watford expired, even turning down a move to Newcastle as he opted to hang up his gloves.
However, the England international has now made a dramatic comeback as he joins Wrexham, who look set to be promoted back to League Two as they sit top of the National League.
Foster actually spent time on loan at Wrexham back in 2005 – now, let’s take a look at how he performed.
How Ben Foster performed for Wrexham in 2005
Interestingly, Foster‘s career may have taken an entirely different turn had he not joined Wrexham on loan from Stoke in 2005.
The glovesman caught the eye of Sir Alex Ferguson at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff as he started for Wrexham in the Football League Trophy final against Southend United.
Ferguson was in attendance to watch his son Darren, who scored the second goal in a 2-0 win for Wrexham, and promptly decided to spend £1m to sign a 22-year-old Foster for Manchester United from Stoke.
Speaking about that period of his career, the Mirror quote Foster as saying: “If it wasn’t for Wrexham, I wouldn’t have got a move to Manchester United.
“I remember looking at the big screen and seeing Sir Alex. It clicked that Darren was playing for us and his dad had come to watch him. I think that is where it all started.”
In total, Foster made 21 appearances on loan at Wrexham, conceding 30 goals while keeping six clean sheets.
The English shot-stopper was thrown in at the deep end in the Football League Trophy, making his first appearance in the competition for Wrexham at the Quarter-Final stage.
Nevertheless, Foster performed superbly, and helped Wrexham win that Quarter-Final against Hereford United by a 2-1 scoreline, before also playing a huge role in wins across both Semi-Final legs and, of course, the final.
Wrexham currently find themselves three points clear of Notts County at the top of the National League with eight outings remaining, although their rivals have a game in hand.
Wrexham do still have a clash against Notts County at the Racecourse Ground to come, however, so if Foster can help them record three points in that encounter, he could poetically end his career in the same way it took off – by winning a trophy for the Dragons.
In other news, Report: Tottenham now want to appoint manager Jan Vertonghen has called a ‘natural-born leader’
