"After hanging up his boots in 2018, ex-Leeds, Man United and Newcastle forward Alan Smith moved to Florida in the United States, since becoming director at the Orlando-based XL Soccer Academy. The former England international knows a thing or two about coming through the youth ranks having burst onto the scene at Elland Road whilst still a teenager. An FA Youth Cup winner in 1997 alongside the likes of Paul Robinson, Harry Kewell and Jonathan Woodgate, Smith soon become a household name in West Yorkshire."
"By the end of the 2000/01 season, Smith had scored 33 senior goals for the Whites and made over 100 first-team appearances, all before his 21st birthday. Leeds were in their modern day pomp, challenging at the summit of the Premier League table, blooding local youth under head coach David O'Leary and competing regularly in Europe. But, the good times were all too fleeting, as significant borrowing led to the club racking up major debts."
"The conclusion to the 2003/04 Premier League season saw Leeds fall out of the top flight and with it key players exited en masse as costs were cut substantially. Leeds-born Smith was one of the players identified with the greatest sell-on value and for 7 million swapped Elland Road for Old Trafford in a move which some supporters deemed a betrayal."
Alan Smith retired in 2018 and relocated to Florida to become director of the Orlando-based XL Soccer Academy. Smith emerged from Leeds United's youth system, winning the FA Youth Cup in 1997 and breaking into the first team as a teenager. By the end of the 2000/01 season he had scored 33 senior goals and made over 100 appearances before his 21st birthday. Leeds competed at the top of the Premier League and in Europe under David O'Leary but accrued large debts. Relegation in 2003/04 triggered player sales and Smith moved to Manchester United for £7 million, a transfer that divided supporters.
Read at www.fourfourtwo.com
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