After Ben Foster's new four-year contract, Caroline Hunt says it's time to step up for United's England shot-stopper...
Ben Foster has had to bide his time since joining from Stoke City four years ago. Plucked from relative obscurity, Ben soon made inroads into the England team and fast became the new hope, long-term hope for club, and indeed country.
Impressive loans spells, coupled with a few spells on the sidelines through injury, there have been only fleeting, but promising moments in a United shirt.
Things could, though, soon be looking up for United’s young English stopper, after the Reds’ current incumbent of the no.1 jersey at OT announced that the coming season will be his last. In different circumstances, of course, that might have been cause for glum faces. After all Edwin van der Sar has been the first man to stand comparison to Peter Schmeichel despite a raft of attempts by the likes of Fabien Barthez and Tim Howard.
Foster's new contract, and Sir Alex's comments that he is a "genuine successor" to Edwin are promising to say the least for Ben, who's still young in goalkeeping terms at 26.
On the rare occasions United’s seemingly no.1-in-waiting has got the nod from the gaffer, he’s looked every bit the real deal, making van der Sar’s exit a less traumatic prospect.
Stepping in and stepping up from time to time is one thing, though. Doing it week in, week out, against the finest strikers in the land, not to mention Europe’s most fearsome marksmen, is a stiffer challenge. And until Edwin has said his final farewells, a sustained spell in the side seems unlikely for his challengers (it shouldn’t be forgotten that Tomasz Kuszczak is also still in the running). But the prospect of the Reds’ no.1 jersey coming up for grabs in August 2010 should be enough to keep Foster focused for the new season even if he is set, once again, to play second fiddle.
A sustained run in this season’s domestic cup competitions, following on from last term's Carling Cup triumph, would clearly be high on Foster’s wishlist. In the Reds’ victorious 2008/09 effort, he was the keeper of choice at the business end of the competition, and waltzed off as Man of the Match after United’s spot-kick win over Tottenham. That still wasn’t enough to dislodge the immovable Edwin, but it was encouraging to see Foster stand tall on the big stage.
There’s no reason to think that Sir Alex will refrain from using Ben more often this season as a potential transition begins. And having made the most of his fleeting opportunities so far in the red (well, yellow, green, blue, and soon-to-be white) shirt, now is the time Foster to not only continue that, but really step up to the plate. Now could be the time that the real jockeying for pole position starts. The shirt for United, and England for that matter, is up for grabs...
The views expressed in this blog are personal to the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Manchester United FC.
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