Will Adam Smith win his place back when fit?

Adam Smith may only be a few weeks away from being able to return to full training, and when he does come back he is gong to see a bit of competition ahead of him. The time between now and then will be filled with Nathaniel Clyne getting up to speed for AFCB in the right back position, and Adam Smith might find that his number one position is a little harder to retain.

Adam might fancy the left-back spot when he comes back to fitness.

I don't see that being a major problem though for Smith. He has already demonstrated that he can play just as well at left-back and he is always an option on the right side of midfield, if required. Adam's versatility makes him a go to player and it is annoying for Howe I am sure that Adam is one of those injured at the moment as he is one of the players that can fill several holes when they occur.

It is interesting to speculate whether Clyne will win out against Smith for the right-back spot. I don't see Clyne being able to play elsewhere in the team, so it's either that spot of the bench for him and while Adam is used to battling Simon Francis for a place in the team, it is good to finally see a bit more competition for the right-back position.

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Adam Smith is a player that tends to improve when he does have competition and I'm looking forward to see him perhaps learn a bit from Clyne, who may just have a bit more to his game when it comes to decision-making. Smith has never been able to get international recognition, but he might find out one or two things that are just preventing him to get to that next step if he works with Clyne and adds a few more things to his own game.