New St Johnstone signing Matt Smith was ‘coveted’, MK Dons boss Graham Alexander reveals

St Johnstone’s new midfielder, Matt Smith, was a player in demand, his former manager with MK Dons has revealed.

Ex-Motherwell boss, Graham Alexander, told the MK Citizen that by signing MJ Williams, he was unlikely to be able to satisfy Smith’s first team needs in League Two.

And with other clubs showing an interest in the Wales international, Saints saw their approach pay-off.

“I would say I am a midfielder who can get around the pitch, I like to play forward and try to hurt teams."#SaintsTV spoke to our new signing, @MattSmith#SJFC | pic.twitter.com/KUDd4ebHqq

— St. Johnstone FC (@StJohnstone) August 5, 2023

“Matt has been great, worked really hard in pre-season training but with MJ coming in, he’s seen his chances of starting limited,” said Alexander.

“He’s a coveted player, so it was common sense to let him go.”

Smith arrived at McDiarmid Park on Friday and was a late substitute in the 2-0 defeat to Hearts on day one of the Premiership season.