Manchester United’s last few outings have witnessed something of a revival from Chris Smalling, who hasn’t always been a guaranteed starter under Jose Mourinho when all of the Red Devils’ centre-back options are fully fit.
Even now, it remains to be seen just who will make Mourinho’s starting XI when Eric Bailly regains his sharpness after a lengthy injury and Phil Jones returns from the sidelines as well. But based on current form, Smalling deserves his centre-half berth on merit – even if injuries have made him a default pick in recent weeks.
Indeed, the England international was an intrinsic presence in the clean sheets claimed against Huddersfield in the FA Cup and Sevilla in the Champions League, and although the Red Devils couldn’t extend their run of games without conceding against Chelsea on Sunday, as Willian opened the scoring by finishing off a fine counter-attacking move, Smalling once again stood out as one of United’s key performers.
The 6 foot 4 defender, who Transfermarkt value at just £16.2million, made the most tackles, interceptions and blocks of any United player while completing two clearances, and perhaps most impressively of all, he did so without committing a single foul – something of vital importance considering the quality from dead ball situations Willian, Eden Hazard and Marcos Alsonso have shown throughout their spells in the Chelsea jersey.
But Alvaro Morata’s inability to truly affect the match was equally telling of Smalling’s influence. Perhaps the Chelsea striker’s performance would be viewed differently had his late strike not been ruled out for offside, but that would have been an undue reward considering the length of the periods in which Smalling kept him quiet. There was only one instance when Morata managed to turn Smalling and charge into space, and the Spaniard finished up with just one shot on target to his name.
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Which inevitably leads to the question of where the 28-year-old stands in the pecking order at Old Trafford.
It’s become a fairly unanimous opinion that the beastly Bailly will be an ever-present member of United’s defence when fit, but who should partner the Ivorian? Let us know by voting below…