Though it may not ring true in recent memory, Manchester United were long the dominant force of the Premier League. Under the guidance of the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson, the Red Devils stormed to 13 top flight titles, a record tally that, as of the 2024/25 season, no club is really close to reaching.
Ferguson was no stranger to making signings and more often than not, new faces blended seamlessly into his system with Man United. For the most part, players that plied their trade at Old Trafford under the Scot’s guidance look back fondly at their time there, a la Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, Gary Neville and countless others.
Such a reality, however, is not true for every former Man United player that worked with Ferguson, who is widely regarded arguably the greatest football manager of all time. Not every signing was a success story, though this can hardly be expected in a game such as football. For one player in particular, however, his time in Manchester is not something he remembers with much warmth.
Foster: ‘I Didn't Enjoy It’
Retired shot-stopper reflected on his time at Manchester United
Ben Foster stands in goal for Manchester United.
In 2023, Ben Foster called time on his 23-year career as a professional footballer. The goalkeeper had originally retired in 2022 after suffering relegation from the Premier League with Watford and seeing his contract expire. The following year, however, Foster was drafted back into the sport, signing a short-term deal with Wrexham and helping them return to the Football League.
Soon after the promotion, Foster retired again for good. It can be easy to forget, given what he did elsewhere, but Foster spent a large chunk of his career with Manchester United, who he signed for in 2005 from Stoke City while in his early 20s. Foster had potential that he would eventually realise, but not with Man United.
Foster spent two seasons away from the club on loan at Watford, but struggled to break into the Red Devils’ first team upon his return, serving as a back-up option before joining Birmingham City in 2010. This period of Foster’s career is not something that he considers a highlight.
In an interview with talkSPORT, as per Goal, Foster stated:
"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?'"
What Happened After?
Foster played for many years after departing Old Trafford
Ben Foster
As briefly aforementioned, Foster departed Man United on a permanent basis in 2010 to join Birmingham City who, at the time, were a Premier League side. In his debut season, Foster was a crucial part of the Birmingham side that not only reached the League Cup final, but beat Arsenal to win it, their first major trophy in almost 50 years.
Birmingham still suffered relegation from the English top flight, despite Foster’s individual brilliance, which led to a loan move to West Bromwich Albion in 2011, which was made permanent the following year. Foster would spend six further years with the Baggies and it was at the Hawthorns where he truly established himself as a goalkeeper.
Despite being in his late 20s at the time of his original move, Foster would make over 200 appearances for the Midlands side and for years was one of the Premier League’s most consistent performers in-between the sticks, albeit never quite establishing himself as one of the best goalkeepers in Premier League history, and was called up to the England squad for the 2014 World Cup.
In 2018, Foster returned to Watford 11 years after he last played for the club. Foster would remain a constant part of the Hornets’ first team for the next four years, with the goalkeeper proving that age really is just a number in the case of some players. Manchester United, evidently, was not an environment that Foster found beneficial, but he showcased a quality in his later career that proved the Red Devils and Sir Alex Ferguson were clearly right about the talent that he had.
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