Ben Foster admits he 'hated every second' of his Man Utd career as former Wrexham goalkeeper reveals what made him 'petrified' of taking to the pitch

Following a meteoric rise from non-league football, Foster spoke about not feeling as though he belonged at a club like United. In an interview with talkSPORT, he opened up on the mental struggles he dealt with at Old Trafford.

Foster explained: "It was at a time in my life, mid-20s, 24, 25, I look back at that person who played for United then, and it's not me. I was so wet behind the ears, I didn't understand how anything worked in life. But I did [suffer from impostor syndrome].

"I hated every second of it. 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. That's a bad way to go about it. When you go into games thinking the worst, or fearing the worst, you're off to a bad start straight away. I'd look around at some of these big names behind me and think: 'How have I got here?'"

Foster was playing county-level football and training as a chef when he was scouted by Stoke City at the age of 18. Even then, he never made a first-team appearance for the Potters and was still turning at non-league level until a loan at Wrexham in League One suddenly brought him to the attention of United in 2005. Two more years on loan at Watford followed, before becoming a permanent member of the United squad in 2007 alongside the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic. Ultimately, his best years came elsewhere, representing Birmingham, West Brom and Watford (again) with distinction in the Premier League, before hitting the headlines with a final blast back at Wrexham under Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds.

Almost 20 years before a dramatic stoppage time penalty save all but secured Wrexham's return to the EFL, Foster kept a clean sheet for the club at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff as they won the 2004-05 Football League Trophy final in extra-time. Darren Ferguson, son of Sir Alex, scored the team's second goal in one of his 356 appearances in Wrexham colours.

Since hanging up his gloves only a few weeks into Wrexham's 2023-24 season, Foster has embraced his second retirement. He continues to make YouTube videos, with his main channel boasting almost 1.5 million subscribers.