Liam Smith in mid career Dundee United reinvention as he reveals the teammate that urged on Hearts screamer

Dundee United's Liam Smith looks up to the likes of Philipp Lahm and Joshua Kimmich but jokes he has been more like Dani Alves in recent weeks.

The 25-year-old has made his name as a right-back but in recent games United head coach Thomas Courts has pulled off a masterstroke by deploying him as a goal-getting midfielder.

Courts will be looking for that to continue when United host Celtic in their Scottish Cup quarter-final clash at Tannadice on Monday.

The United star is a fan of German star Kimmich and the now-retired Lahm but admits he may have added another dimension to his game, more like Barcelona’s Brazilian legend Alves.

Smith had just five career goals before he netted in United’s last two games against Livingston and Hearts.

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And he said: “Just the type of player I’ve been growing up, I’ve looked at players such as Philipp Lahm and Kimmich over Dani Alves and the flying full-backs.

“I’ve kind of gravitated towards boys like that because I see myself more as that kind of full-back.

“I’m not going to be YouTubing their clips or anything like that but it is funny that, growing up, I looked more towards them than Dani Alves or Kyle Walker.

“They are two boys who have played right at the very