David Busst has issued words of support to stricken Manchester United star Alan Smith.
David Busst has issued words of support to stricken Manchester United star Alan Smith.Smith suffered sickening leg injuries against Liverpool on Saturday, as he fractured his left fibula and dislocated his ankle when attempting to block a shot from John Arne Riise.
It was initially suggested that Smith's career could be under threat, but this has since been played down and he has been backed to return by Busst.
Busst was the victim of one of the worst injuries ever witnessed on a football field in 1996 as he suffered a compounded fracture of his right leg against Manchester United.
The 38-year-old never played again, but he claims it was the host of complications rather than the initial injury which forced him to retire and has backed Smith to come good.
"I just saw it straight away," Busst told Sky Sports News. "His heel had got caught underneath and his weight had pressed down
"I knew he had dislocated his ankle, but whether he had broken his ankle or his leg obviously that was confirmed afterwards.
"I just saw the reaction of the players and it reminded me. I remember all the players, not milling around screaming, but they were in a rush to get people on and you know then that something is wrong.
"That was when my heart went out to him."
Busst does not feel Smith's injury should be compared to his own.
"If people are comparing it to mine, I stopped playing, then don't even worry about it because mine broke the skin and I had other complications," stated Busst. "The actual break healed and is fine now, that never stopped me."
Busst admits he came close to losing a leg, as he added: "One of the doctors told me they were considering amputating because of all the infections, mine broke the skin, and I had all these infections eating away at the wound. I also had compartment syndrome which is where the muscle exploded, so I had other problems other than just the break.
"So it wasn't the break which stopped me playing, it was the separate infections and injuries I sustained.
"Alan does not have any of that, which is good news, and hopefully we will see him back."
Busst is urging Smith not to rush his recovery.
"With his recovery, the one thing I learned was to set myself small, achievable goals, not dates, because I always found if I got to a date and hadn't done something, say not getting back and running after three months, that was more disheartening," he stated.
"So I set myself achievable goals - walking unaided, learning to jog, learning to run, kicking a ball, that sort of thing."
