Ben Foster reveals surprising Ryan Reynolds trait which could help Wrexham reach the top

Ben Foster has backed Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney to take Wrexham all the way to the Premier League after praising them for being down to earth.

The former Manchester United and England goalkeeper helped the Red Dragons achieve promotion from the National League in 2023 after making a surprise return from retirement.

The veteran stopper was adored by fans and the club's Hollywood owners after making a famous penalty save against title challengers Notts County.

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A rocky start to life in League Two the following season saw Foster only make four appearances before deciding to hang up his boots again.

However, his time at the club gave him a unique insight into how it is run and the 41-year-old has now given his honest verdict on Reynolds and McElhenney.

Despite their fame, Foster hailed the pair for being "normal people" and believes it will help them achieve their lofty ambition of taking Wrexham to the Premier League.

He also revealed a surprising side to Deadpool star Reynolds, who he says is often keen to try and avoid the limelight

Speaking to sports presenter Will Brazier in an interview on YouTube, Foster said: “It's lovely because they're so sound. It's exactly what you see in the documentary. I think I’d have been a little bit disappointed if, when I got to meet them, they were completely different, or they were whoppers. But they're not, they're just like normal people.

“You can see Rob is very clever, and he's very driven. Ryan is just so laid back and calm, and it's almost like he gets embarrassed by the fame. He doesn't really like the spotlight so much.

“They're such nice people, and they really care about the club. They really care about the community, and it wouldn't surprise me if you see them in the Premier League in five or six years' time.”

Wrexham have achieved back-to-back promotions in the last two seasons under the Hollywood regime and are currently on course to go up again.

Phil Parkinson's side are second in League One, equal on points with leaders Wycombe Wanderers, having played one game more.

Foster thinks the level of autonomy given to the manager is key to their success and another reason why Reynolds and McElhenney deserve credit.

He said: “Phil Parkinson is the guy that has the say so on everything, with players in, players out, new contracts, and even when it comes to media duties. He wants to know what's going on.

“He doesn't let players get too excited or too ahead of themselves. He takes it each game as it comes, but I love the way that they give him all that power.

“When you've got two massive A-list Hollywood stars running the football club, money could become a massive problem, and you could be haemorrhaging cash all over the place, but he makes sure it doesn't happen.”

Foster added: “He's very calm, very considered and he finds out about every single player that he's signing. He makes sure that they're a really good human being, first and foremost, and there's not many football clubs that do that.

“The manager nowadays is a coach, and they just get the players that the big dogs have brought in, and they have to work with them. But Phil Parkinson still maintains that he is the guy that brings every single player in.”