Foster began his career with Midland Football Alliance amateur team, Racing Club Warwick. In 2002 he moved to Stoke City but never made a first team appearance for the Potters. In his three years as a Stoke player he was loaned out to Bristol City, Tiverton Town, Stafford Rangers, Kidderminster Harriers and Wrexham. Foster sustained a cruciate knee ligament injury in June 2003 while playing tennis that cost him six months out of football.
By 2005 he had greatly impressed the Manchester United scouts and Sir Alex Ferguson. In July of that year Foster was signed in a deal that could eventually be worth as much as £3 million. Stoke received an initial down-payment of £1 million but that fee could treble depending on first-team and international appearances during his time at Old Trafford. Sir Alex described Foster's capture as "a great bit of business" and tantamount to "guarding the future of the club".
In August 2005, Foster joined Watford on loan for the season and the goalkeeper helped the Hornets win promotion to the Premiership by beating Leeds United 3-0 in the Championship play-off final. Foster re-signed on loan again the following season after United secured the services of Polish goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak.
Foster remained at Vicarage Road for the entire 2006-07 season and despite Watford's struggle to survive in the top flight he was called up to Steve McClaren's first England squad for a friendly against Greece.
He has been selected for every squad since and made his England debut in the 1-0 defeat against Spain on 7th February 2007. Watford manager Adrian Boothroyd claimed Foster to be "better than current Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar" and believes that "he is going to be the best goalkeeper in the world". His confidence at set-pieces and shot-stopping skills have made him one of the best young goalkeepers in Britain and he is widely considered to be the likely successor to Edwin Van Der Sar.
Unfortunately in June 2007 with Foster set to fight for a first team place at Old Trafford the player required surgery for another cruciate ligament problem in his right knee. "It could have been worse," Foster told The Mirror after doctors discovered bone impacting on the ligaments. "If they hadn't found that fragment of bone the surgeons told me I wouldn't have had much of a career left." This will keep him out for at least the first half of the 2007-2008 season.
] He returned to light training towards the end of 2007, before moving on to a more rigorous regime in mid-January 2008 and made a comeback in a reserves game against Middlesbrough on the 6th March 2008, Foster made his debut for Manchester United on 15 March 2008 against Derby County, as Van der Sar was injured and Kuszczak was suspended, having been sent off against Portsmouth in the FA Cup quarter final the previous Saturday. United won the game 1-0, with Foster making two crucial saves en route to keeping a clean sheet.
Squad Number: 12
Position: Goal Keeper
Place of Birth: Leamington Spa, England
Date Of Birth: 03/ 04/ 1983
Height: 6'2
Weight: 12st 8lbs
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