The new signing of Wrexham was once praised by a Manchester United icon for his incredible mental power.
Sam Smith van Reading joined the Red Dragons, owned by Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mcelhenney, on Friday for a reported club record costs of £ 2 million. The 26-year-old striker has written a three-and-half-year-old deal with the Welsh side after scoring 11 goals in 26 performances for the royals so far this season.
Smith has a strong pedigree in the game after he initially came through the Academy of Manchester United, alongside Marcus Rashford and Scott McTominay. The Manchester-born attacker was then released by the Premier League Giants at the age of 16, before he was picked up and developed through the reading system of Reading.
However, the links to Old Trafford do not end there because Smith was managed during the start of his senior career by none other than Jaap Stam. The player signed his first professional contract with reading in the summer of 2016 and received his debut the following year by the former altogether defender.
Smith was one of the handful of selected young people who became members of the first team of Royals in the Netherlands for a training camp for the season in mid-2017. He made his senior debut under Stam in August of that year at the age of 19, came from the bank In a Carabao Cup collision against Gillingham and scored extra-time victory of the club over Millwall in the second round.
While his chances were limited shortly thereafter, the then boss Stam greeted his strong mindset. During an interview with Berkshire live in October 2017, the Dutchman said: “Sam is doing great and his development has been fantastic.
“At the start of the season, people on the outside would not have known him and now they ask why he is not in the first team. That tells you something about his mentality. He is the type of player who works very hard and brings improvements to .
“But as a manager you have to make a decision when is he ready to start. Sometimes they need time to participate, to adapt everything, to know what is expected of him and then there will be a time when we Thinking that he is ready. “
Unfortunately for Smith, the first team opportunities would eventually dry up in his first Stint at Reading after Stam had left the club with two months left of the 2017/18 campaign. The attacker later admitted that he “learned a lot” from the manager.
After the departure of Stam, Smith spent time on loan with the will of Oxford United, Shrewsbury Town, Cambridge United, Tranmere Rovers and Cheltenham Town before his contract went in May 2021. He then came to Cambridge on a permanent basis and scored 35 goals in 109 performances in all matches for two seasons with the club.
His first setback when reading was very useful to him when he made a triumphant return later in July 2023. Smith revealed that his time was gone, that his time had learned a lot. Today he told the local news Outlet RDG: “I had to leave and learn to play as a lonely striker and learn how to use my body.
“You have to learn the dark side of the game in the lower competitions and that helps if you become a parent and more physical. I think it has benefited me enormously and I feel that I am really ready to influence the team and get some goals. “Smith took 16 goals in 37 performances for the Royals previous term and has already signaled 11 times in 25 games this season so far before he secured his move to Noord -Wales.
When signing for Wrexham, Smith said: “It feels great to become a member of the club and I am happy that the deal is over the line. It was an incredible experience to play against the club in the Stōk Cae Ras and the atmosphere really stayed with me. I am excited to be part of the trip now and I want to try to help the club reach its ambitions. “
The Manager Phil Parkinson of the club said: “Sam is a player we have been pursuing for a while. He is a striker who has done really well in recent seasons and he is at a big age. He is a fantastic addition to the team. “
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