In his weekly column for the News of the World, Venables said: "Smith would be a fabulous addition to the team. I have worked at close-hand with Alan and know what a fantastic finisher he is.
"He has not scored as many goals as he would have liked this season, but he has been playing in a struggling team. Put him in a top side and he will show just how good a player he is.
"It's not as if United will be going out spending £30m for him so I can't see any pressure on him or United at all. Would he make a deadly partnership alongside Van Nistelrooy? That all depends on how Sir Alex decides to play him."
Yeah, we all remember how Venables rated him as a striker....using him in midfield most of the time!