Former Sunderland defender Dan Smith has hit back at Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger. Wenger last week criticised Smith for a shocking challenge on Abou Diaby in 2006.
Smith - speaking to French football website SoFoot - has hit back.
Smith said: "It was not a malicious tackle, he has had other injuries since, as he had before. For Arsene Wenger to say that on television... for me, he's looking for a scapegoat.
"This is my personal opinion. I never meant to hurt anyone, I never intended to hurt. The referee saw it clearly, I did not receive a red card, I do not even remember if I was warned. It was just a late challenge, that you see every weekend. There is one chance in a million that there is a serious injury. He had the ball when I was already running.
"I have compassion for him, it was not easy, he has had a lot of injuries since. But if you take all of his career, you can not say he missed his life because of this injury. The last time I checked, he still earned 60,000 pounds a week while I work full-time in Australia.
"If this has been an obstacle in his career, obviously I apologise to him, but he must not forget that there are people less fortunate than himself."
Smith also said: "Arsene Wenger is one of the greatest managers in the world. You must listen to what he says, and I respect the fact that he defends his players, that's what any great manager would do. At the same time, I find it a little hard for him to accuse me of being the cause of all the difficulties of a player who has had a 10-year career.
"I think he said that 'every player needed his ankle'. But everyone also needs his knee or his head.
"Everyone gets injured. Some manage to return, and others, unfortunately, do not. This is football. If I could remove the evil I have committed, I would. Unfortunately, I can not."
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