Bournemouth right-back Adam Smith has described Manchester United loanee Ethan Laird as a “great talent”.
Laird joined the Cherries in January on loan from the Reds, on a deal until the end of the season, at the time Smith was recovering from a meniscus injury.
However, fitness issues have meant that Laird has been unable to kickstart his time at the Vitality Stadium and he has only made two appearances for Scott Parker’s side.
Smith, who has reclaimed his spot at right-back from Jack Stacey, spent a lot of time with Laird in the gym when they were both building up their fitness levels.
Asked for his thoughts on Laird and the added competition the Manchester United academy graduate has brought to the south coast, Smith told the Daily Echo: “Really, really nice kid. He’s a great talent.
“We’ve got three right-backs, so it’s competition. It’s healthy competition.
“It doesn’t faze me, it doesn’t faze Stace, or Ethan, it’s going to improve all three of us.
“So it’s all about competition and it’s only going to help the squad isn’t it? That’s what it’s about.
“If you look at the best teams, the Man City’s, they’ve got two players in every position, it’s healthy. It will just keep us on our toes.”
With Laird’s confidence maybe quite low after Parker deeming him not currently up to the level required to form part of the matchday squads, Smith’s positive comments will be much-welcomed.
Smith, who has played 144 games in the Premier League, clearly sees the talent Laird possesses, but it’s up to the youngster to come through this testing period the other side and prove his worth to Parker.
After an impressive first half of the campaign with Swansea City, Laird has been given a reality check with the Premier League hopefuls.
Earlier this week, we reported that the international break may have come at the perfect time for Ethan Laird and hopefully Smith’s glowing comments help the 20-year-old turn his Bournemouth fortunes around.
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