Smith feels Valencia’s pain

(16-09-2010) Former Manchester United star Alan Smith is full of empathy for Antonio Valencia following the Ecuadorian’s horrific ankle injury against Rangers on Tuesday. Smith’s Old Trafford career was cut short by a similar injury just over four years ago. And by a strange twist of fate, Smith was in the stadium when Valencia went down after an innocuous challenge from Kirk Broadfoot. "I can relate to what Antonio is going through,” Smith told The Sun newspaper on Thursday. "There's no getting away from the fact it is a hard road back from an injury like that but with determination, you can do it.” Added the 29-year-old: "It means weeks of doing virtually nothing then long days with the specialists, the physios and in the gym building your ankle up before you can even think about kicking a ball again.”