Former MLS and US national team starlet Freddy Adu shot down rumors Friday that he is in talks to revive his career with the NASL's Atlanta Silverbacks.
Silverbacks head coach and technical director Eric Wynalda on Wednesday told SI.com that he wanted Adu on his team and on Thursday the NASL club's president and GM, Andy Smith, confirmed to MLSsoccer.com that the club has reached out to Adu's representatives, communicating their interest in the player even before his recent training stint at Blackpool.
"I told [Adu's agent] that we're huge fans of him as a player and want to see him get to the next level," Smith said. "He's been bouncing around so much that if he needed a place to train for a short period of time and if he needed a team to get some games in and get back in the swing of things, we'd love to talk to him about it."
Adu, for his part, rebuffed any idea that he would play in the American minor leagues on his Twitter account on Friday.
"I am currently Not speaking to any NASL teams," he said. I don't know how that rumor got started but these rumors are not true. Thank you."
He added a second tweet shortly after: "I am currently at blackpool training and thinking over some opportunities in Europe. Thanks"
Prior to Adu's dismissal of the news, Smith told MLSsoccer.com that Atlanta would be a perfect fit for the wayward midfielder at this point in his career, in part because of Wynalda's pedigree.
"I don't know if there's a coach at this level who could work with him as well…" Smith said. "There's an opportunity for him to be a mentor."
