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Goalkeeper Ben Foster has come out of retirement to join Wrexham on a free transfer with the club bidding for the National League title.
Wrexham, owned by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, were facing a goalkeeper headache before Foster’s arrival with their first-choice option Rob Lainton ruled out for six weeks with a knee injury.
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“I’m over the moon. I’ve been at the Club an hour this morning and it seems a really nice place. Everyone is down to earth and the manager’s top class,” Foster said in a statement.
Foster began his career at Stoke City but did not make a senior appearance for the club amid a series of loan moves — including a short stint at Wrexham — before joining United in 2005. He served as backup to Edwin van der Sar at Old Trafford, as well as completing two loan spells at Watford.
He since enjoyed permanent spells at Birmingham City, West Bromwich Albion and Watford before retiring from football at the end of last season.
Foster also has eight caps for England, his last coming at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
“It’s changed a lot since I was last here, but it’s nice to be back and it’s nice to be back as a player too,” Foster added. “It will be interesting to see how my body feels after training today! I’m looking forward to getting started.
“The first time I was here, it was genuinely the springboard to the rest of my career — on the back of the loan move, playing in the LDV Vans Trophy Final at the Millennium Stadium, I got my move to Manchester United at the start of the next season. It was absolutely bonkers!
“If you’d told me 18 years ago that I’d have gone on to have the career that I have had, I probably wouldn’t have believed you to be honest so I do owe a lot to Wrexham.”
