Ben Foster reveals Edwin van der Sar issue that forced his Manchester United exit

Former Manchester United goalkeeper Ben Foster has admitted that being in the shadow of legendary shot-stopper Edwin van der Sar was one of the reasons behind his Old Trafford exit.

The Watford goalkeeper spent five years with United, making 12 Premier League appearances. Foster spent two seasons out on loan having signed for United, helping Watford gain promotion to the top flight in 2006.

Foster has revealed that nerves got the better of him having secured his big move to United. He's also admitted that the presence of Van der Sar heaped even more pressure on his shoulders, so much so that he was eventually forced to look for a move away from Old Trafford.

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"I was so nervous; I couldn’t beat it," he told the UTD Podcast. "I knew I couldn’t do what that guy could do so always, in the back of my mind, I’m thinking that everybody’s just going to go ‘well, you can’t fill his boots’.

"They were right. They’ve got to be right because [he’s] one of the best goalies to have done it. I always had that in the back of my mind.

“Towards the end of the season when I actually left, it got to a point where I just thought ‘I need to go now. I can’t stay in the shadow of Edwin van der Sar because I just can’t do what that guy can do'."

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