BEN FOSTER has revealed he turned down an offer from one of his former clubs to come out of retirement.
The ex-Manchester United and Watford man hung up his gloves at the end of last season.
However, he had an offer to add to his 22-year-long playing career last September, which he decided to reject.
Foster explained that National League leaders Wrexham gave him the chance to change his mind on stopping playing and he is happy to see them doing well.
The 39-year-old played for the club owned by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney in 2005 when on loan from Stoke.
Foster told LiveScore: “Wrexham were one of the clubs I got an offer from earlier in the season.
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“I had a few offers. [Wrexham] would have been cool.
“I’m over the moon for them. I actually won the LDV Vans Trophy [EFL Trophy] with Wrexham. They’ve changed the name about 700 times since then.
“It’s good to see. The thing with Wrexham is it’s such a football community and the people really care about that club.
“Even when I was there, they were going through tough times financially and had some owners they didn’t quite trust.
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“It’s nice to see they’ve now got owners that really care about not only the club but the community.”
Foster was even handed the chance to join another Premier League club in Newcastle.
He revealed: “Deep down I didn’t want to do it [turn down Newcastle].
“It’s a hard thing to explain because there’ll be people up and down the country that will say ‘you’ve just been offered a really good contract by the richest team in the world to go and be second-choice goalkeeper and be part of something’.
“But I just didn’t want to do it, I had this deep feeling, and the wrench of it was that I’d have to move away from home, that would kill me.
“If I’m in an apartment in Newcastle by myself, away from my family, I don’t think people can understand. That’s hard to do, especially at the age I am and with everything else I’ve got going on.
“I know for a fact if I’d have gone there I’d have had an amazing time, the lads would have been absolutely brilliant and I’d have buzzed off the stadium, the fans, all that kind of stuff.
“But the overriding sinking feeling was ‘I don’t want to do this.’
“I was just eating my dinner and I thought ‘no, I’m not doing it’. I’ve got to be happy and comfortable and I wouldn’t be able to do that so far away from my family. It would kill me.”
Foster had no regrets on his decision and is happy retired, keeping busy by running a YouTube channel and podcast.
The goalkeeper said: “Oh yeah, I’m double fine [about retiring]. I’m past that stage now.
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“Nothing has really come close to tempting me [back]. The last time I had a Premier League game is nine or 10 months now. I think the ship sailed.
“I’m at ease and at peace with that.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
