Saddlers look for fizz from Febian Brandy

Boss Dean Smith today challenged Febian Brandy to finally fulfil his potential and insisted he is ready to add the fizz to Walsall's League One challenge.

The striker is close to a comeback with Smith predicting the former Manchester United starlet to be a defender's "nightmare".

Brandy has played just 10 minutes since his summer free transfer after a hamstring injury sidelined him since the opening day.

He was close to returning in Tuesday's 3-1 defeat at Stevenage but he could be ready to face Preston at the Banks's Stadium on Saturday and Smith threw down the gauntlet to the 23-year-old.

"Everyone knows he was a young kid with great potential at Manchester United which is unfulfilled. Hopefully he can get himself fit and do the business here," he said.

"He's like a bottle of pop. You shake the bottle up and let it go and that's Febian Brandy. He's got pace, trickery and he can finish.

"He'll be a defender's nightmare with how he wriggles out of situations and he's a player who will win a lot of penalties because all of a sudden he's up on defenders and they are bringing him down.

"He can finish, we've seen that already, and we're hoping to get him on the pitch as soon as we can.

"He's a flair player and he'll get bums off seats, he's the sort of player fans like."

Brandy has made just 32 senior starts in his career on loan at Swansea, Hereford and Gillingham and during a six-month spell at Notts County in 2011.

He spent time in Greece with Greek Superleague outfit Panetolikos but was forced to sleep on team-mate's Javan Vidal coach and left after a month without pay.

Smith handed the former England under-20 a chance to resurrect his career at WS1 and said he ensured Brandy was ready for the challenge.

"I'd spoken to a lot of people you had him before we signed him. People at Swansea, Notts County and we know people at Manchester United," said Smith, who could have Jimmy Walker available on Saturday after a calf injury. "You have to go and do your homework and this is a big opportunity for him."