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Sir Alex Ferguson has issued a “hands-off” warning to Everton after media speculation linked the Toffees with a £6million January move for Alan Smith.The United boss said he would reject any interest from the Merseysiders and again praised Smith for the recent commitment he’s shown to regaining full fitness.“He’s doing great,” acknowledged Sir Alex. “I wanted to take him to West Ham last weekend but he didn’t want to go. Instead, he wanted to stay in Manchester and train on his own. He’s doing the same thing on Saturday when we travel to Villa. I applaud that commitment because training on your own is never easy.”Smith, who suffered a double leg fracture against Liverpool in February, turned down a loan spell with Cardiff last month in order to remain at Old Trafford and fight for a first team place; a decision Sir Alex has given his full backing. “He could have gone to Cardiff and played games, but he wouldn’t have been 100 per cent during matches," insisted the Reds' manager. "I think he did the right thing [by staying at United].”Sir Alex also quashed rumours suggesting United’s owners had imposed a spending limit on the team’s transfer dealings during the January window.“It’s absolute nonsense, but it is the silly season,” joked the Scot. “There’s no set figure from the Glazer family [for transfers]. They operate in the same way that United have always operated."If we’re after a player, we will present the case to David Gill and the Glazers in the same way I used to do with Martin Edwards and the PLC board. It’s exactly the same.”
2006年12月23日 06点12分
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