Always Coca-Cola

As Alan Smith mulls over the taste of Coca-Cola, United supporters up and down the land are questioning the logic of such a move. There is clearly two ways to interpret this news.

Firstly, Fergie wants his player to get game-time and knows that with United out of the Carling Cup such an opportunity could help a player get back to his best.

Secondly, Fergie wants to begin to distance the player from the club in a way that takes supporters minds out of their emotive state, stimulated by his injury, to begin to question the players ability in a way that makes an impending departure easier to accept.

You can’t ignore the fact that Smith has recently come back ahead of schedule from a nasty injury and that he needs first team action. It can also be argued that competitive football is the answer for his ongoing rehabilitation particularly as reserve football is too far removed from the ‘real thing’.

However, one could point to the fact that Solskjaer battled back from a two-year injury without going on loan and came back to play reserve football and then to play and score for the first team in Premiership and Champions League matches, albeit to pick up another injury recently. Some might also point out to Smith that Liam Miller also went out on loan to the same division to only then leave the club.

People keep banging on about the attitude of Alan Smith but for me that just being nice. It’s a bit like describing an ugly chick as having a nice personality. We all know what it means. Smith isn’t good enough. When I was first told he was linked to the club I said he was crap and there has been little to date to change my mind. You can’t help but be shocked that he comes at a cost of £1m per premiership goal since joining United.

Looking back over his 52 league appearances (15 as sub) I can only remember games he failed to shine rather than those where he did. He had a decent pre-season in the States a year ago but hey, so what. I remember a game he played upfront for United against Norwich, which we lost. He was about as mobile then as he was when he broke his leg. It truly was shocking. The play passed him by too easily.

Smith is very much still United’s player and perhaps Fergie sees something I don’t despite me trying to concentrate on the positives. Perhaps if I say really committed three times whilst looking in the mirror he may suddenly become Mark Hughes 2. However, in my mind he is destined to play football away from the club, arguably Middlesbrough (exchange for Yakubu?!) or Newcastle (Come back Rossi?) It’s clear that at United he lacks too much. Next to Rooney and Saha his lack of pace, ability, movement and skill are made to be glaringly obvious. It might just be Cardiff or Leeds for a reason.

Anyway, as he battles back from injury I fear he may now realise that football is a tough sport but it is an even tougher business, particularly at Old Trafford.

Meanwhile, it has been confirmed that Freddie Adu will have a trial at Old Trafford. It is unclear whether Nike or Fergie is behind this. Meanwhile, another player Chinedu ‘Edu’ Ogbuke has been strongly linked with a move to the Premiership. Apparently, Lyn, his club have confirmed a major offer for the player. Edu’s agent is John Shittu, the man at the centre of Obi Mikel saga, which makes you wonder whether United would be prepared to even consider such an approach. Edu is also very strongly linked to Arsenal and with a number of Nigerian young players having trialled at Chelsea, with an agreement rumoured to have been put in place, they can’t be ignored.