The England international completed his move to the North East on Friday after Manchester United decided to part with a player they signed from Leeds United in 2004.

Smith has generally played as a striker throughout his career, but Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson would sometimes deploy him as a central midfielder. The 26-year-old said he would have no qualms about his new manager Sam Allardyce playing him in the same position.

"I don't think any player can turn round and say `I am only going to play in one position' because that would be silly," said Smith. "He will probably want me to play all over. Otherwise it limits the amount of times he can use you. So I am ready to fit in and I just can't wait to get out there and play."

Smith has signed a five-year contract with the club. It is not yet clear exactly where he will fit into Allardyce's plans, but the player faces competition in attack from the likes of Michael Owen, Mark Viduka, Obafemi Martins and Shola Ameobi.

"People might be surprised I've gone for Alan Smith," said Allardyce, pictured. "But I just couldn't turn my back on a player of his quality. He's a very versatile player who played three or four positions very successfully for Manchester United."