BEN FOSTER had other offers to come out of retirement but none appealed to the experienced goalkeeper until Wrexham came calling.

The 39-year-old announced in September that he was hanging up his gloves but has joined the title-chasing Reds on a deal until the end of the campaign.

Manager Phil Parkinson wanted a replacement for Rob Lainton who sustained knee ligament damage in the 2-1 win at Bromley 10 days ago and is not expected to play again this season.

Foster returns to The Racecourse 18 years after he last played for the club, on a loan spell which included a starring role in the 2-0 LDV Vans Trophy Final victory against Southend United at the Millennium Stadium that earned him a move to Manchester United.

On his podcast in September 2022, former England international Foster, who has also played for Watford twice, Birmingham and West Brom, announced his retirement from football but he is delighted to head back to the club where his career kicked off.

“I went out on my bike on Wednesday morning, got home and I had a load of missed calls and messages, and a lot of them were from Phil,” said Foster, who made his second Wrexham debut in Saturday’s 3-0 win over York City.

“I gave him a ring back, had a little think over it and I thought ‘that actually suits me’.

“It is similar to when I rejoined Watford four-and-a-half years ago; it is knowing that I have been there before which always makes it a little bit easier and I left Wrexham on very good terms all those years ago.

“We are doing well at the top of the league and if I can come in and add a little bit more experience then that will do me.”

Foster said Parkinson helped convince him that it was the right move.

“It is not a million miles away from home and I know from watching some of the documentary that they are good lads,” said Foster.

“All the way through my career, the important thing for me is knowing the people I am working with are good people.

“If they are good people then you have got half a chance and Phil absolutely reassured me that all the players, the staff and everybody involved with the club are really good eggs and I will fit in really well here.

“That for me was ‘right, let’s do it’.”

Foster revealed why he turned down an offer from Newcastle United, where he would have provided back-up to Nick Pope, before calling time on his career.

“It was a fantastic offer from Newcastle but it would have meant an awful lot of upheaval," he said.

“I would have had to go and live up in Newcastle by myself and at the age of 39, it’s not something I want to be doing.

“Even over the last five or six weeks I have had so many offers.

“I was like ‘I could do’, but with everything I am doing with the podcast, the channel and a lot more media work, nothing has really appealed to me but as soon as the Wrexham one came through, I thought ‘I will do that’.”

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Foster has enjoyed retirement, adding: “Last year I had it in my head that unless it was a really juicy offer that worked with everything then I wouldn’t do it.

“I was actually looking forward to having a little bit of time off and that would have been a bit too soon.

“I have had a belting nine months but this works for me.”