Ben Foster reveals how Gary Neville used to negotiate his OWN Manchester United contracts without an agent

Ben Foster has revealed how his former teammate Gary Neville used to negotiate his own Manchester United contracts without the help of an agent.

Foster says he approached former United captain Neville for advice around contracts when he was due to sign a new deal at Old Trafford in the early years of his career.

The former England international goalkeeper says Neville told him to represent himself during those contract talks, insisting he did the same when discussing new deals with the club.

Foster said on talkSPORT: "When I was at Manchester United when I was younger, I remember I was up for a new contract and I actually grabbed Gary Neville and said 'Listen, I'm going for a new contract and I need a bit of advice'.

"He went 'who's your agent?' and I told him and he went 'why do you need an agent?

"And I went 'well, I'm 23-years-old, I don't really want to be going in with Sir Alex Ferguson and David Gill and trying to do my own contract'.

"He then said 'well, I do my own contracts' and I'm thinking 'well you're Gary Neville though'.

"Isn't that the most Gary Neville thing you've ever heard in your life? But he said 'I'll sit in the room with them and say I'm worth this and there's no way they can tell me that you're not worth that'.

"Because he can then say, 'What, am I not good enough then?', so he would do it that way.

"You've got to be a strong individual, you've got to know your stuff if you're going in for contract talks."

Foster joined United from Stoke City in 2005 and would spend five years at Old Trafford before leaving for Birmingham City in 2010 after making just 23 appearances for the Red Devils.

He would go on to have spells at West Brom and later Watford, who he left at the end of last season.

Neville, meanwhile, spent the entirety of his career boyhood club United, eventually retiring in 2011.