Alan Smith opens up on leg break nightmare

Smith was hit by one of Riise's famously powerful efforts during an FA Cup clash in 2006, while playing for the 'Red Devils', and has revealed it still bothers him now. 

He moved to Newcastle shortly after making a comeback from the injury, and retired earlier this year, admitting that even 12 years later he can still feel the effects of the break. 

"I knew with the injury it would be touch and go whether I could carry on playing – the surgeon said that," he told 'The Mirror'.

"It would have been easier to walk away and people remember you as a top Premier League player. But I didn't want that, because I loved playing football. Your love of it makes you go through the pain barrier.

"But by the end, the day-to-day training was doing more harm than good. I couldn't compete at a level I felt I could easily before. I get out of bed and can't walk properly, my ankle is stiff all the time.

"I went for a run in the summer and managed to do a couple of miles but stopped and started walking because my ankle was hurting. I went back last month and the surgeon said, 'I don't want you doing any straight-line running', just because it will damage the joint.

"It is always difficult to walk away but when you see someone and they don't want you running, you know it is the right decision. I have no regrets, for me I see retiring early being the easy option."