Man Utd & Newcastle target gets used to life in England with undercover trip to World Darts Championship dressed as Shaun the Sheep

Smith has been able to enjoy some time away from football as the Eredivisie is currently paused for a winter break. The AZ star made sure to head to London for the World Darts Championship which is currently taking place at Ally Pally. The event is well known for its raucous atmosphere as fans enjoy dressing up in outrageous costumes as they watch the best darts players on the planet compete for the biggest title in the sport. Smit was happy to oblige and was spotted wearing a Shaun the Sheep costume, while his friends also joined in the fun and were seen dressed up as chickens and cows.

Smit has emerged as one of the brightest talents in Dutch football after starring for AZ. The 19-year-old has reportedly attracted interest from a host of clubs, including Premier League duo Manchester United and Newcastle. The Red Devils have had big issues in midfield, with Manuel Ugarte struggling for form and Casemiro heading towards the end of his illustrious career. Newcastle are also believed to be keen, amid continued injury struggles for Brazilian midfielder Joelinton and with Sandro Tonali regularly linked with a return to Italy. 

The teenager has previously been linked with both Real Madrid and Barcelona and has said he's happy to hear of interest from the two clubs. He told NH Nieuws earlier this season: "I think the potential is there, but in terms of goals and assists, it hasn't been great yet. I could have had a few. This year will be different, but I have to start playing. Those are great things. The two biggest clubs in the world, I think. I thought it was nice to see and read about. I just want to show here that I can do it. The interest from Barca and Real is nice, but of course, you don't know if I'll play. I'm not really distracted by it."

Amid speculation about his future, Smit has admitted he expects to move on from AZ shortly. He told De Telegraaf: "How long do I see myself at AZ? I think six months or a year and a half. After that, I hope to have taken the next step. I expect my transfer to be completed for €30 million. It would be AZ’s most expensive signing and would be good for the club. My next step is outside of the Netherlands. No, I don’t find it difficult to accept. In fact, I think it’s wonderful, and I’ve started thinking about it."

Netherlands national team boss Ronald Koeman has previously compared Smit to Barcelona star Pedri. He said: "I almost regret mentioning his name again [Pedri], but he’s a guy who plays in the same position. The way he turns away from his opponent, the way he scans the area, his two-footedness... I saw that in Pedri too. If he gets half his career, we’ll be very happy in the Netherlands."

Smit looks set to see out the season with AZ but it would be no surprise to see him move on in the summer. The list of clubs being linked with the talented teenager looks to be growing, as clubs queue up to snap up one of the Netherlands' most promising young midfield stars. Any move to Manchester United may certainly go down well with darts world champion Luke Littler. He has made no secret of the fact that he's a big fan of the Red Devils and has been happy to offer the club his very own transfer advice in the past.