Smith started his career as a striker at Leeds United before playing in the centre of the park, a role he has taken on at Old Trafford this season in the absence of club captain Roy Keane.

And Smith is convinced that midfield is where his future in the game lies.

"I enjoy being in the thick of the action," Smith said in the official England v Poland Match Programme.

"Sometimes upfront, you get frustrated when things aren’t going well and when you’re not involved all the time, whereas in midfield, you’re always involved, even if you’re not on the ball, you’ve got to be covering and concentrating 100 per cent.

"I’ve spoken to the gaffer about that. It’s something I hope I’ve adapted to well.

"Roy’s been playing in a defensive midfield role for the last couple of seasons and people talk about me replacing him, but I think he’s irreplaceable. We’ve had a chat about it. To step into his shoes, it’s going to be the most difficult job in the world.

"I’m aware there are things I need to work on, like my passing. In a midfield three you tend to play short passes, whereas in a two, you can exploit the long pass more, which is probably my weakest point.

"I need to get used to playing in that area, because as a striker you mostly have your back to goal, whereas when you’re a midfield player you’re facing play. You’ve got to make sure you pick the right option and make the right pass at the right time."

Smith has been back in the England squad this month and he believes that the criticism England have received from some quarters will be beneficial.

"It’s been well documented that people have been questioning us as a squad, so I think we’ve had a few points to prove and I think you can see that in training," Smith added.

"It’s been a difficult month for everybody and I think we’ve all been looking forward to this week’s games to put things right.

"In this squad we’ve got leaders who are willing to stand up and be counted and, in times of adversity, we will see that."

Smith is also confident that with qualification assured, England have what it takes to lift the World Cup in Germany.

"It’s essential that we think about ourselves because with the squad we’ve got, we should be capable of winning a World Cup. I think for long enough in this country, we’ve been gallant losers, getting to a Quarter-Final or a Semi-Final.

"We don’t want that. The time’s come to have a real go at it. We shouldn’t be happy just to get to a Semi-Final. We’ve got the players to win it and that’s the attitude we need."

You can read the full interview with Alan in tonight's England v Poland match programme.  If you can't get to Old Trafford to pick up you copy, you can order it online.  Click here for more...