Boro contest £4.3m tackle damages

Ben Collett was making his debut for the reserves when his leg was broken

A Manchester United player awarded £4.3m damages after a tackle ended his career might not have made it as a top-flight footballer, a court has heard.

Ben Collett's leg was broken in a 2003 reserve game against Middlesbrough.

Andrew Prynne QC told Manchester's Civil Courts of Justice that Mr Collett, then aged 18, had yet to prove himself as a professional footballer.

Boro player Gary Smith and his club admitted liability, but are challenging the amount of compensation.

United manager Alex Ferguson was among those who gave evidence at the 2008 hearing to decide the total amount of damages.

It is expectations we are dealing with, against a background he had yet to prove himself Andrew Prynne QC

He described Mr Collett as "outstanding", and a series of other footballers and ex-managers suggested he had a future in the game.

Sitting at London's High Court, Mrs Justice Swift awarded the player £4.3m and said the final sum payable was unlikely to be less than £4.5m.

But on Wednesday, Mr Prynne told the panel of three appeal judges that the former youth player was only "on the cusp" of becoming a first team member.

He said: "It is expectations we are dealing with, against a background he had yet to prove himself.

First game

"Each of the witnesses conceded, even the great Sir Alex Ferguson himself said his future was entirely dependent upon how he performed in the adult game."

Mr Collett, now 23, was part of the club's FA Youth Cup-winning team in 2003.

He was playing in his first reserve team game for the Old Trafford club that same year when the tackle broke his leg in two places.

He has since enrolled at Leeds University, where he is studying English.

Gary Smith was released by Middlesbrough and went on to play for MK Dons, before a free transfer to his current club, Brentford FC.

The hearing continues.