ALAN Smith has told Sir Alex Ferguson he is ready to play a major role in Manchester United's treble bid - starting with Saturday's Old Trafford duel with Wanderers.
The former Leeds United striker has been forced to abort two comeback bids after recovering from the horrific injuries he suffered at Anfield 13 months ago.
But now, with perfect timing, he is raring to add his weight to the Reds quest for the Premiership title, the FA Cup and the Champions League.
With Louis Saha and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer injured, and Henrik Larsson back in Sweden, Ferguson has hinted that Smith will be asked to take some of the striking burden off Wayne Rooney.
And the feisty 26-year-old, who broke his leg and dislocated his ankle in a freak accident in an FA Cup clash with Liverpool in February last year, can't wait.
"There is a big month coming up now and I want to be involved," said Smith, whose decision to reject offers to go out on loan appears to have paid rich dividends for himself and for his manager. "It is what I have worked so hard for.
"As soon as I suffered the injury, I set myself three goals. The first was to get myself fit, the second was to get back into the team and the third was to win more international honours.
"Physically, I am probably fitter than I have ever been in my life. I am confident about getting a chance between now and the end of the season and when I do, it is up to me to take it."
It has been a long road back for Smith though. He initially turned out in a pre-season game at Preston, only to realise he was not quite as fit as he thought.
Two Carling Cup starts at Crewe and Southend a couple of months later only brought fresh concerns, with Smith eventually agreeing to go on a personal fitness programme which is now starting to pay off.
"After the two cup games I knew I was still miles off," he said. "But it was a bonus really because it allowed me to focus on what rehabilitation work I needed to do to get fit again. I do believe I can get back to what I was. That is what the manager is hoping for as well."
After enjoying a relatively injury-free first half of the campaign, suddenly fitness problems are starting to bite for United.
Apart from Solskjaer, Saha, Darren Fletcher and the suspended Paul Scholes, Edwin van der Sar is also a definite absentee from both Saturday's derby and the FA Cup quarter-final replay with Middlesbrough 48 hours later, while Mikael Silvestre has been ruled out for the season after it was confirmed he required surgery to the right shoulder he dislocated against Lille.
Better news for Ferguson is that Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic should be fit to face Wanderers after missing Tuesday night's UEFA charity game with rib and nasal problems respectively.
Nevertheless, unless Patrice Evra is available, United will have only 14 senior players to choose from, meaning a bench slot for either Chris Eagles or China international Dong Fangzhou.
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