Foster ready for United debut
Saturday, 15 March 2008
MANCHESTER, Mar 14 (AFP): England goalkeeper Ben Foster has been told he will make his Manchester United debut against Derby County on Saturday -- just a week after returning to reserve team duty following a ten-month cruciate ligament injury lay-off.
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is without both first-choice goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar due to injury and back-up stopper Tomasz Kuszczak for the trip to Pride Park following the Pole's dismissal in the FA Cup quarter-final defeat against Portsmouth last Saturday.
Foster, 24, has yet to make a senior appearance for United, despite arriving in a one million pounds (two million dollars) move from Stoke City in 2005.
And although he impressed on United's pre-season tour of South Africa in 2006, his first-team football over the last two seasons has been played at Watford during two season-long loan spells at Vicarage Road.
However, his form for Watford earned him an England debut in the friendly defeat against Spain in February 2007 and Ferguson admits that he has no qualms about thrusting Foster into the United first-team for the clash against Derby, the Premier League's bottom club.
"I was planning to send Ben out on loan last Monday, but he will now be making his debut for us at Derby because of Edwin's injury and Tomasz Kuszczak's suspension," Ferguson told reporters here Friday.
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is without both first-choice goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar due to injury and back-up stopper Tomasz Kuszczak for the trip to Pride Park following the Pole's dismissal in the FA Cup quarter-final defeat against Portsmouth last Saturday.
Foster, 24, has yet to make a senior appearance for United, despite arriving in a one million pounds (two million dollars) move from Stoke City in 2005.
And although he impressed on United's pre-season tour of South Africa in 2006, his first-team football over the last two seasons has been played at Watford during two season-long loan spells at Vicarage Road.
However, his form for Watford earned him an England debut in the friendly defeat against Spain in February 2007 and Ferguson admits that he has no qualms about thrusting Foster into the United first-team for the clash against Derby, the Premier League's bottom club.
"I was planning to send Ben out on loan last Monday, but he will now be making his debut for us at Derby because of Edwin's injury and Tomasz Kuszczak's suspension," Ferguson told reporters here Friday.