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"The treatment so far and the operation has been very successful and we can be positive about the future. It was a terrible injury but there a lot of things in Alan's favour, particularly his courage and his age. It is amazing to see the way Alan has handled it. I went to see him on Monday and he was so philosophical about things. He just said 'that's football'. It is a very commendable attitude to have but people with character are like that and it will give him a better chance of recovery than a normal person.
"It was a bad one for Smith of course but with modern technology there's a lot to be optimistic about. Wes Brown, Roy Keane have had bad injuries and come back. We've plated the ankle. The players will be thinking of him Sunday. His courage was another level last weekend. I think people with character like that are better than normal people."