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Ben Foster (born 3 April 1983 in Leamington Spa) is an English footballer who plays as a goalkeeper. He plays club football for Manchester United in the Premier League.
Ben Foster started his football career at Racing Club Warwick in 2000. He spent a season there before he joined Stoke City.
During his time at Stoke, Foster had loan spells at Tiverton Town, Bristol City, Stafford Rangers, Kidderminster Harriers and Wrexham. Foster sustained a cruciate knee ligament injury in June 2003 while playing tennis, this sidelined him for a period of six months.
Ben Foster was spotted by Alex Ferguson, playing for Wrexham, on loan from Stoke, when the Man Utd manager was watching his son, Darren, in the LDV Vans Trophy Final in 2005, which Wrexham won. Manchester United had been struggling for many years to replace goalkeeping legend Peter Schmeichel, and Ferguson decided to move for the young Foster – paying £1 million even though Foster had never even made a first-team appearance for Stoke – in the hope that he would one day fill the gap, Stoke agreed a deal with United on 15 July 2005, and the transfer was completed on 19 July 2005 .
Not yet ready for first team action, Foster was sent on a season-long loan to Watford on 1 August 2005, with the expectation of a second loan the season after. Watford manager Aidy Boothroyd claimed that "he's better than current Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar" and believes that "he is going to be the best goalkeeper in the world." Manchester United manager Ferguson has suggested that Foster will succeed Edwin van der Sar as first-choice keeper at United and should eventually replace Paul Robinson (England number 1 at the time) as "England's next goalkeeper.
Foster had an impressive season at Watford, attracting plaudits from opponents and commentators. His long goal-kick was a particular asset for Watford as many of the team's goals came via so called 'route one' football, with a long clearance from Foster collected by strikers Marlon King and Darius Henderson in promising positions. His imposing stature, confidence at set-pieces and excellent shot-stopping ability also stood out in what was his first full professional season. Foster helped Watford reach the Premier League by beating Leeds United 3–0 in the Championship play-off final.
Foster re-signed for Watford on a second season-long loan on 10 August 2006 after Manchester United secured the services of Polish goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak on loan from West Bromwich Albion. Aidy Boothroyd expressed his desire to keep Foster at Watford for a third season on a number of occasions during the 2006–07 season, but his hopes were dashed in January 2007 when Alex Ferguson announced his intention to bring Foster back to Old Trafford at the end of the season
In June 2007, it was announced that Foster would undergo surgery on a cruciate ligament injury in his right knee, forcing him to miss the start of the 2007–08 season. He returned to light training towards the end of 2007, setting a February 2008 target for his return. He made a comeback in a reserves game against Middlesbrough on 6 March 2008, before making his debut for the Manchester United first team on 15 March 2008. With Edwin van der Sar injured and Tomasz Kuszczak suspended for a red card against Portsmouth in the FA Cup Sixth Round the previous Saturday, Alex Ferguson had to shelve plans to ship Foster out on loan again, and the young goalkeeper was promoted to the #1 jersey for the home match against Derby County. United won the game 1-0, with Foster making two crucial saves en route to keeping a clean sheet. Although he was impressed with Foster's performance in the game against Derby, Ferguson did not start him for the following match against Bolton Wanderers, opting for the returning Kuszczak.
After being selected as a substitute for Manchester United's opening game of the 2008–09 Champions League against Villarreal on 17 September 2008, Foster then played for the reserves against Blackburn Rovers the following day. Unfortunately, during the game, he fell awkwardly and suffered a twisted ankle, putting him out of contention for six to eight weeks. Fortunately for Foster, his recovery time was quicker than was first estimated and he returned to reserve team action on 14 October 2008, playing the full 90 minutes in a 2–1 win over Oldham Athletic reserves. Foster then made his first Champions League appearance – his second for the Manchester United first team – on 5 November 2008, in a 1–1 away draw to Celtic
Foster was originally selected in Manchester United's squad for the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup, but after suffering a broken finger in training the day before the squad was due to depart for Japan, he was replaced by Ben Amos.
On 1 March 2009, Alex Ferguson named Foster in goal for the 2009 League Cup Final at Wembley Stadium. After keeping a clean sheet in normal time, Foster then made a save from Tottenham's Jamie O'Hara in the consequent penalty shoot-out. This, combined with a miss from David Bentley, gave United a 4–1 win in the shootout and the 2009 League Cup title. For his performance, Foster was given the Alan Hardaker man of the match award.
On May 26, 2006, Foster was named on the stand-by list for England's 2006 World Cup squad, because of Robert Green's injury in a "B" international against Belarus.After Foster re-signed on loan for Watford, he was called up to Steve McClaren's first England squad as one of three goalkeepers for the friendly against Greece. He has been selected for every squad since, prior to his injury, and Foster made his England debut in the 1–0 defeat against Spain on February 7, 2007, a game in which Foster made several clearances in excess of 75 yards.
Ben Foster has been contracted with Sells Goalkeeper Products since his time at stoke city.
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