McLeish has also hinted that he believes the summer signing can challenge Joe Hart for the England number one position this season. The Scot signed Foster from Manchester United in the summer, which immediately appears a good piece of business after a fine performance in their 2-1 win against Blackburn on Saturday. McLeish landed the 27-year-old following his failure to secure Hart on another loan from Manchester City, due to his outstanding season at St Andrew's that has now seen him become City, and England's, apparent first choice. Foster was once tipped to be the future of English goalkeeping after some outstanding performances for Watford in the 2006/07 season in the Premier League. However, his career stalled following his return to United, after failing to oust Edwin van der Sar for the first team jersey and losing the faith of Sir Alex Ferguson. But McLeish, who paid £6million for the former Stoke trainee, believes his new goalkeeper can now recapture his form and give Hart a run for his money. "We had a fantastic goalkeeper last season in Joe and I firmly believe him and Ben are made of similar stock," he said. "Two guys, two similar characters, Joe came to the club with a strong mentality, while Ben probably has a wee bit more experience. "Just like Joe, Ben wanted to get first-team football, so this move was a positive one. "It looks like he is going to be a great goalkeeper for this club."
