Ben Foster rejoins Wrexham after coming out of retirement

Former Manchester United and England goalkeeper Ben Foster has come out of retirement to sign for Wrexham until the end of the 2022-23 season.

The 39-year-old had announced his retirement from professional football in September 2022 after leaving Watford at the end of the 2021-22 campaign, and turning down offers from Atlanta United and Newcastle United.

Wrexham are without first-choice goalkeeper Rob Lainton after the 33-year-old was ruled out for six weeks with a knee ligament injury sustained during his side’s 2-1 win at Bromley on Saturday.

The move is Foster’s second spell at Wrexham, having joined the then League One club on loan from parent club Stoke City in 2005. He made 21 appearances in all competitions and won the 2004-05 Football League Trophy, but Wrexham were relegated to League Two at the end of the season.

“I’m over the moon,” said Foster. “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. It will be interesting to see how my body feels after training today! I’m looking forward to getting started.

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“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.”

Foster has made 536 appearances in his professional career and was capped eight times by England between 2007 and 2014.

Wrexham are top of the National League with eight games remaining. Phil Parkinson’s side are three points clear of second place Notts County with a game in hand as they attempt to secure their first promotion under the ownership of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

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