Manchester United and England centre-back Chris Smalling delivered a man-of-the-match display for his country in their 2-0 win against Switzerland this week. The Three Lions played their eighth Euro 2016 qualifier of the campaign, and retained their 100% record in Group E while keeping their sixth clean sheet.
Smalling, 25, has been singled out for his national team performances on a regular basis of late, and it’s been a similar case at domestic level too. He’s been a regular in the Manchester United backline for the last two full seasons, and has played every minute of every Premier League game so far for the Red Devils.
The former Fulham defender has made more than 150 appearances for Manchester United since his £7M from the Cottagers, and this season looks set to propel himself to new heights. He drew a lot of praise from United manager Louis van Gaal in 2014/15 for his performances, and even signed a long-term deal in the spring as a result.
Chris Smalling has picked up where he left off, and is now performing on the level of the other top defenders in the Premier League. This season, he’s averaged a tackle or interception every 22 minutes, and has helped United to three clean sheets in the division already. Not without his critics, the defender’s rise to prominence looks to be here to stay, and his consistency for England could really staple his place as one of the league’s best on current form.
There were question marks over who would be a long-term option alongside Gary Cahill in the England defence, but Smalling has more than made the position his own in the last 12 months. And for Manchester United in the same period of time, he’s signed a five-year contract and captained the side. Van Gaal sees him as the club’s first-choice at the heart of the defence, and all the faith shown in him by Sir Alex Ferguson, David Moyes, Ryan Giggs and Louis van Gaal is now being vindicated.
Alongside the likes of Ashley Williams (Swansea City), Vincent Kompany (Manchester City) and Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal), Smalling is certainly one of the most in-form centre-backs in the Premier League. He’s helping club and country to clean sheets in almost every game he starts, and is no longer being played out of position or being deemed only good enough for the bench. Will this season see him cement his place as one of the best in the division?
