Usain Bolt: a Man Utd footballer in the making

The fastest man on earth, Usain Bolt, told a London newspaper at the weekend that he'd be interested in playing football professionally. Because he has trained with both Manchester United and Bayern Munich, fans of both clubs are pricking up their ears.

The Jamaican double-gold Olympic medalist was talking to the Guardian about his autobiography Usain Bolt: 9.58 - named for his all-time world record speed over 100 metres - when he pulled out a photo of himself with the Bayern striker Miroslav Klose and said: "If I keep myself in shape, I can definitely play football at a high level."

His manager, Ricky Simms, seemed to take the suggestion seriously. "With his physical skills, I reckon he could play in the Premier League," he said.

Bolt, 24, has played in a few charity matches so he knows what a football looks like. But is sheer speed enough?

Mark Hughes, the former Man Utd player who now manages Fulham, is not convinced. He said yesterday: "There are plenty of examples of players with blistering pace but unfortunately they don't know how to use it to the best of their abilities. And I would imagine Usain comes under that banner."

There's also the question of the "footballing brain" (no jokes please). Most Premier League players begin developing their ball awareness and basic skills when they're three or four. However fast he is, Bolt might be coming to it a little late. Assuming he'll shoot for another double gold in the 2012 London Games, he'll be at least 26 before he can become a footballer.

Still, the example of Arsenal's Theo Walcott will doubtless inspire the Jamaican. Walcott is one of the fastest sprinters in the Premier League. The 21-year-old only turned to soccer at 12 - very late in the day. Many Arsenal fans believed this explained his lack of goals: he could run very fast at the opposing goalie but very rarely knew what to do next.

Now it seems Walcott has finally found his footballing brain. In the first three games of the new season, he has scored four times for Arsenal - one more than he managed in the whole of the 2009-10 season.

The Manchester United coach, Sir Alex Ferguson, has yet to pronounce on Bolt's footballing dreams. But however impressed he might be by the lad's speed, he won't like another theme of Bolt's Guardian interview - namely, his thoughts on partying and marrying young.

"You do not want to get married at 22!" he said, referring to the age at which Wayne Rooney tied the knot. "Especially if you're famous, because girls are going to be throwing themselves at you!"

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