ALAN SMITH says he has no feeling in three toes on his left foot – and it is not because of the horrific leg break he suffered when blocking John Arne Riise’s thunderous free-kick.
The former England star was crowned a Premier League champion during a successful spell with Manchester United.
Alan Smith has lost all feeling in three toes on his left footCredit: PA:Press Association
He won the Premier League title and played for England during his careerCredit: PA:Press Association
It was that Smith snapped his leg and dislocated an ankle when blocking a free-kick from Liverpool left-back Riise in 2006.
The former Leeds star has since admitted that and iconic boss Sir Alex Ferguson described the incident as one of the worst injuries he had ever seen.
But a separate problem, suffered when Smith had moved onto Newcastle, has also done lasting damage.
The former midfielder has revealed that an X-rated challenge from Kieran Richardson during a Tyne-Wear derby in January 2011 resulted in him losing all feeling in three toes.
Smith, speaking to the Daily Star , said: “It actually wasn’t that one with Riise that made the ankle as bad as it was.
“When I played in the derby for Newcastle against Sunderland, that’s when I did it again.
“I just got a tackle. Kieran Richardson came in. It was a bad tackle, but it wasn’t malicious.
“He just came in and caught me on my standing foot, on my standing leg, but it was my left.
“He literally just went high on my ankle, and my ankle inverted, so the opposite of what it should and it just went inwards.
“That was worse because I already had all my metal work in there.
“I went to James Calder at the Fortius Clinic in London about it, because he’d done a lot of my surgeries after, and he basically couldn’t tell what was new damage and what was old damage.
“That’s when I lost all the nerve damage in my foot. I can’t feel the last three toes on my left side.
“I’ve got pins in my left side. The same screws from the operation!”
, who has been coaching in the United States since hanging up his boots in 2018, insists he has no ill feeling towards Riise after his sickening leg break.
Smith is still impacted by an awful injury suffered during his time at NewcastleCredit: AP:Associated Press
He does not blame John Arne Riise for his horrific leg breakCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
He added: “When you look back at it, you know lads who have played and all f****** put their bodies through all sorts.
“They’ve all got ailments and can’t walk and can’t do that, but that’s what we were, that’s what you do.
“Everyone says this and that about , and I’m like, ‘f****** hell, he didn’t do anything wrong!’
“It wasn’t a bad tackle. It was just unfortunate. You block it, you land, it goes underneath you, whatever it is.”
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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