Goalkeeper Foster rejects Hodgson's England plea

Goalkeeper Foster rejects Hodgson's England plea

Published May. 13, 2012 5:12 p.m. ET

England coach Roy Hodgson has failed to persuade goalkeeper Ben Foster to come out of international exile for the European Championship.

Foster has impressed on Hodgson while on loan at West Bromwich Albion from Birmingham this season. Hodgson's final match as West Brom manager was on Sunday, a 3-2 loss to Arsenal.

The 29-year-old Foster announced a year ago that he was taking an indefinite break from international football.

Foster says Hodgson ''tried hard to persuade me to change my mind ... but he totally understood my reasons why and was very respectful of that.''

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Foster wants spend time with his family instead of going to Euro 2012.

And he says his ''best form has been since I retired from England and I feel my body gets a good rest.''

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