The more Ben Foster attempted to untangle the riddle that is his football career, the more he sounded like some sort of high-wire performer rather than the latest great hope for a position once filled by such luminaries as Gordon Banks and Peter Shilton.

Indeed, after the furore surrounding Ledley King, the phrase "balancing act" was rarely far from Foster's lips as he fielded questions about his own club versus country headache.

On the one side of Foster's high-wire act is a desire to stay at Manchester United, yet over the other edge is the dream of replacing David James as England goalkeeper before next year's World Cup and the realisation he might need to leave Old Trafford in search of regular first-team football. A huge decision is looming.

"It's the biggest club in the world against the biggest competition in the world," Foster said. "I'm not happy just to sit around and be the No 2 goalkeeper. You have to be playing. You can't expect to go to the biggest competition in the world not playing regular football.

"I know Fabio has the rule of not picking players who haven't been playing for their clubs. I don't know what the future holds. I've got no desire to move away from Manchester United. I love the club. But, on the other hand, I've got ambitions.

"It's a bit of a fine line for me. I want to be at Manchester United for as long as I can be. But there comes a moment when I do want to be playing also. I am 25 and I am hoping to have another decade or longer in the game.

"Hopefully, it will just be a case of biding my time. It is frustrating, but you probably only get one chance at being at United. You expect there to be a lot of people fighting for the same position."

The fight is with Edwin van der Sar and Foster probably has until the end of next January either to replace the 38-year-old Dutchman or to leave for another club, whether permanently or on loan, if he is to have a chance of boarding the plane for South Africa next year as Capello's first-choice goalkeeper.

It is a curious situation and one which brings into sharp focus the changing landscape of the Premier League. There was a time when English football was a conveyor-belt of world-class goalkeepers, yet it is now one of the positions of greatest concern to Capello and his management team.

The level of hope that surrounds Foster is illustrated by Capello's willingness to break one of his guiding principles and select a player in the England squad who is not featuring for his club.

The way Foster rose to the big occasion of a Wembley final in the Carling Cup victory over Tottenham certainly provided encouragement for those like Aidy Boothroyd, his former manager at Watford, who regard him as potentially the best goalkeeper in the world.

Foster, though, is aware that the likes of Petr Cech, Iker Casillas and Pepe Reina had all accrued considerably more experience by the same age.

"I would like to think I am good enough," Foster said. "I enjoy playing the big games. I don't really feel the pressure or get nervous. When you're out there is front of 70-odd thousand people you really get to know yourself and to know what you're capable of.

"There's a lot more pressure on anyone when they are out there doing that. Some people fail miserably under that sort of pressure and other players just seem to thrive on it.

"I would like to think that I am one of those players who likes that sort of pressure."

- Telegraph.co.uk