Wrexham's Manny Smith career is over after injury
Wrexham defender Manny Smith has been forced retire from football after failing to overcome a serious knee injury.
The 31-year-old had two spells at the Red Dragons – the first between 2014 and 2016, before returning just over a year later.
He made 142 league appearances for the club in all, but has featured just once since August 2018 – and that was more than a year ago – leaving him little option other than to call it a day.
“There is no need to be sorry or anything, it’s the start of a whole new chapter for me,” said Smith.
Talking about his time on the sidelines he added: “I’ve not had the best 18 months with the injury, I had five operations in a five-month period, but after all of that I know I have made the right decision all round, for the club, my family and for myself.
“My family have always been made to feel welcome by everyone at the club and that alone has made my time enjoyable.”
Smith suffered the injury eight games into the 2018-19 campaign – in a 1-0 defeat at Solihull Moors. He returned to play 90 minutes in a 2-0 win over Eastleigh in December, but a recurrence of the injury sidelined him again and he has been able to overcome it.
“I would like to thank the fans and everyone at Wrexham AFC for supporting me throughout my time at the club,” added Smith. “As with anything, it’s had its ups and downs, but luckily for me there’s been far more ups than downs.”
