Foster set for battle to be No 1 at United

Ben Foster is desperate to be given the chance to establish himself as Manchester United's first-choice goalkeeper next season.

The 23-year-old, who is on loan at Watford and is in the England squad for the European Championship qualifier in Israel at the weekend, is to return to Old Trafford in the summer to do battle with Edwin van der Sar for a first-team place.

Although he rates the Netherlands international Van der Sar as one of the best in the business, Foster said yesterday that it would be "a hard thing to take" if he had to spend most of the 2007-08 campaign on the bench.

"Edwin van der Sar is my favourite goalkeeper in the world, and he has been awesome this season," Foster said. "He would be quite an obstacle to move out of the way, althoughbeing a regular substitute would be very disappointing. It would be a hard thing to take if it were to work out like that.

"I met Sir Alex Ferguson a few weeks ago, and the plan is for me to be back at United next season. He just told me to come back in the summer and to see how things go. If I am not picked, I will not let my head drop, but I will just try to prove my worth."

Foster suffered the ignominy on Saturday of allowing his fellow England goalkeeper Paul Robinson to score past him in Tottenham's Hotspur's 3-1 victory over Watford.

A misunderstanding with the defender Dan Shittu led to the mistake, which could not have come at a worse time for Foster. Several observers had suggested that Foster, who made his senior international debut in last month's friendly against Spain, should be chosen ahead of Robinson for the match in Israel, and the former Stoke player revealed the error had been the worst moment of his career.

He continued: "That mistake was the No 1 - without a doubt. I haven't made too many bad ones.

"I let a long-range shot slip through my hands against Sheffield Wednesday last season, but the Spurs incident is No 1 by quite a long way.

"I have had quite a few texts about it, but they have all been pretty nice.

"As a young goalkeeper, I will always have ups and downs, and that was definitely a down. But I am quite a strong character, so I will try to put it behind me and move on."

Foster was speaking on the day he signed a new three-and-a-half-year sponsorship contract with Sells goalkeeper products in a record six-figure deal. He has been one of the few shining lights in a difficult season for Watford, which has left them bottom of the Premiership, 11 points adrift of safety with only eight matches remaining.

Watford face an FA Cup semi-final against the winners of last night's quarter-final replay between Middlesbrough and Manchester United. Foster would not be able to play against United under the terms of his year-long loan deal from Old Trafford.

On Watford's tough campaign, Foster added: "In terms of finances and off the field, we are minnows compared to the top four clubs in the country. They will stay the top four clubs for many years to come. Watford have a very limited budget, although the club is on an excellent financial footing, which means they can only bring in certain players.

"But, if we go down this season, the club looks in good shape to bounce straight back next year."