Wrexham have signed former Manchester United and England goalkeeper Ben Foster on a deal until the end of the season.

The 39-year-old announced his retirement from football after leaving Watford at the end of last season, but he has returned to help the National League club in their bid to secure the title.

Foster had a spell at Wrexham on loan as a youngster before going on to play for Manchester United, Birmingham, Watford and West Brom, as well as earning eight caps for England.

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“I’m over the moon,” he told the club’s website. “I’ve been at the club an hour this morning and it seems a really nice place. Everyone is down to earth and the manager’s top class.

“It’s changed a lot since I was last here, but it’s nice to be back and it’s nice to be back as a player too. It will be interesting to see how my body feels after training today! I’m looking forward to getting started.

“The first time I was here, it was genuinely the springboard to the rest of my career – on the back of the loan move, playing in the LDV Vans Trophy Final at the Millennium Stadium, I got my move to Manchester United at the start of the next season. It was absolutely bonkers!

“If you’d told me 18 years ago that I’d have gone on to have the career that I have had, I probably wouldn’t have believed you to be honest so I do owe a lot to Wrexham.”

Wrexham have moved quickly to sign a new goalkeeper after first-choice Rob Lainton picked up an injury in last weekend’s 2-1 victory at Bromley.

The Welsh side are three points clear at the top of the National League with a game in hand after that result, and Foster could well be involved for the huge title clash with Notts County live on BT Sport next month.