Former Man Utd shot stopper Ben Foster has opened up on his time with the Red Devils, saying that he hated every second of it”.
Ben Foster, who signed a 1-year deal with Ryan Reynolds’ Wrexham last year has opened up on his time with Man Utd in a recent interview with TalkSport.
The 40-year-old keeper has enjoyed a senior career ongoing since 2000, playing for the likes of Stoke City and Bristol City before joining Man Utd in 2005.
He featured 23 times for the club between 2007-2010, winning back to back League Cup titles whilst at Old Trafford. He was also remembered for his Man of the Match performance against Tottenham in the 2009 Final for his penalty-stopping performance.
Despite his success with the club from an outside perspective, however, Foster has revealed that he “hated every second” of his time with Man Utd.
The keeper has opened up on how he felt imposter syndrome during his time with the Red Devils, as well as a constant fear of making a mistake, which ruined for him what should have been a dream come true.
In an interview with TalkSport, Foster said: “I was so wet behind the ears, I didn’t understand how anything worked in life really, I used to just look around.”
“I hated every second of it. Honestly, I didn’t enjoy it.”
“I was nervous, I was petrified of making a mistake, petrified of what the outside world would say about it.”
“I’d look around at some of these big names around me, and I’d just think, ‘How have I got here?'”
Despite his League Cup success, Ben foster only made 12 Premier League appearances under Sir Alex Ferguson, failing to squeeze past Edwin van der Sar for the No1 spot at the club.
Things did get better for Wrexham’s current shot stopper though.
He moved on to Birmingham City in 2010, and would win a third consecutive League Cup title that same year. The Blues put in a shock 2-1 victory over Arsenal in the 2010 final to become 16-1 underdog Champions!
Foster said of this triumph with Birmingham:
“We won the game, we were fighting relegation, they were right at the top, they had Cesc Fabregas [Robin] Van Persie, Jack Wilshere…”
“And we went and won the game 2-1, and you could just really enjoy it, you knew what it meant to those Birmingham fans, it just felt a little bit more special.”
Foster would enjoy a year with the Blues before moving on to West Brom and Watford, before finally settling in Ryan Reynolds’ Wrexham outfit last year.
Foster’s account of his time at Man Utd just goes to show that one man’s dream may be another man’s nightmare, but we’re glad to see he’s found his footing elsewhere in the sport!
