Ben Foster claims he hated every second of being a Manchester United player | OneFootball

Ben Foster has admitted that he did not enjoy his time as a Manchester United player at all.

The 40 year old former goalkeeper recently retired for a second time after a brief spell at Wrexham.

He played 547 games in his career for a variety of different clubs.

Foster has recently made a name for himself in the online world as he now has his own podcast and he is a regular on a variety of different YouTube channels.

Speaking to TalkSport, he opened up on the difficulties of playing for a club like Manchester United.

“I look back at that person who played for Manchester United back then, and it’s not me, honestly. I was so wet behind the ears, I didn’t understand how anything worked in life really, I used to just look around”.

When asked by the interviewer about how incredible it must have been to play for United at such a successful time and under such a legendary coach like Sir Alex Ferguson he replied, “it wasn’t. I hated every second of it. Honestly, I didn’t enjoy it”.

The former Watford keeper claimed it was the high level of pressure that he faced every day at such an enormous club that spoiled his experience.

“I was nervous, I was petrified of making a mistake, petrified of what the outside world would say about it”.

The player’s lack of confidence stemmed from a feeling that he never truly belonged in such ultra-talented company.

“I’d look around at some of these big names around me, and I’d just think, ‘How have I got here?'”.

In spite of his troubles, the man from Leamington Spa did win two League Cups with the Red Devils and won the Player of the Match award in the 2009 final after keeping a clean sheet and then making a crucial stop in the penalty shootout victory over Tottenham Hotspur.

It is an interesting perspective as many fans probably cannot comprehend how a player could do anything but love the experience of playing at the highest level and sharing a dressing room with legends of the game such as Paul Scholes, Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand.

However, the mental health toll of playing under such intense scrutiny is certainly not for everyone and perhaps Foster’s braveness in admitting it should be applauded.