O'Leary tells Sven: Alan's ready

Alan Smith tonight has the opportunity in one of the game's greatest theatres to show he is too good to be confined to England Under 21 football.

Leeds manager David O'Leary criticised one of his Elland Road predecessors Howard Wilkinson for using Smith in last week's Under 21 defeat against Spain, suggesting he had nothing further to learn at that level.

O'Leary, whose side take on Real Madrid in the Bernabeu safe in the knowledge that both teams have qualified for the last eight, said: 'I have found that the bigger the test, the better Alan is. I look back to his performance against Milan and I feel that he plays now on the biggest stage in the Premier League and that if he is going anywhere with England, he should train with Sven Goran Eriksson's senior squad.

'He enjoys playing with the bigger players. I am not suggesting he should play in the side, though he would not let them down if he was selected. But he would get more out of being with that senior group.'

O'Leary, who was also involved in a skirmish with Sir Alex Ferguson yesterday, contented himself with praising his young side, who have enjoyed some stirring Champions League performances against AC Milan and Barcelona in the first phase and Lazio and Anderlecht in the second.

He said: 'All I know is that I have a fine young side and I am bringing them to a stadium I dream about, to a great football club. I played against their skipper Hierro and I never thought I would be coming back as a young manager.'