Could Chris Smalling Make A Triumphant Return To Manchester United?

When Chris Smalling left for his season-long loan at Roma last summer the expectation was he had played his last game for Manchester United.

His manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said all the right things about it being a new adventure for Smalling and how he would come back as a better player.

But the truth is this was more a chance to put Smalling in an Italian shop window and hope to raise some funds for him the following summer.

“At the moment we’ve got six centre-backs,” Solskjaer revealed when explaining Smalling’s departure, with the unsaid being that he was clearly the most expendable of them.

Smalling had been at Old Trafford for the previous nine seasons and had gained a reputation as a very good centre-back, but never a great one.

He had played over 300 games for United, winning two league titles, an FA Cup, a League Cup and the Europa League.

Signed by Sir Alex Ferguson in 2010 from Fulham, where he had drawn comparisons with a young Rio Ferdinand, he had survived the reigns of David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho.

But Smalling was never able to make good on all his youthful potential and banish the perception there was always a costly error lurking inside him.

At Old Trafford where they had become accustomed to genuine greatness stationed at the heart of their defences, from Steve Bruce to Jaap Stam to the aforementioned Rio Ferdinand, Smalling fell short.

It is why Solskjaer made the signing of a world-class centre-back his priority last summer and brought in Harry Maguire for £80 million.

As Maguire arrived at Old Trafford, Smalling shuffled out the back door without much of a murmur of dissent from United’s fans.

But this season the England defender has refused to allow himself to be forgotten by staging an impressive revival in the Italian capital.

Smalling has been a player reborn at Roma where he has emerged as one of the best and most consistent defenders in Serie A.

“He’s a great, great man, a great, great professional,” the Roma manager Paulo Fonseca has said, while the leading Italian sports newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport has hailed him as “an absolute totem of the defence.”

Smalling has suited Fonseca’s aggressive and pressing style and emerged as one of the leaders of the side, even entrusted with the captain’s armband on occasion.

Exiled from the England team since 2017, Smalling’s performances have even been noticed by Gareth Southgate, who has admitted he is back in his thoughts.

But could Smalling also make an unlikely return to Manchester United?

When asked about the possibility of this happening back in December, Solskjaer simply said “Yes”, but this is more a matter of fact as he is currently only on a season-long loan: The more salient question is does Solskjaer want him back?

There could be a vacancy in the centre of defence next to Maguire next season, for even though Victor Lindelof has performed well in this campaign, doubts remain about whether he is the best option to be his long-term partner. 

Soslkajer is a committed fan of Eric Bailly who has impressed on his return from injury this year, while he is also intrigued about the potential of Axel Tuanzebe

The United manager would ideally like to return to the transfer market for a new recruit, with Kalidou Koulibaly his preferred choice, but United spending £80 million on another central defender is highly unlikely.

Despite Smalling’s impressive form in Italy, Solskjaer could very well stick with his first instinct to let him go, and look to sell him this summer.

Smalling would have no interest in coming back to Old Trafford as merely a squad player, and approaching his peak at 30 wants to be at a club where he plays in every game. His time at Roma has proved he deserves that.

There are plenty of other options for Smalling to find that; he could decide to remain in Italy where Roma are keen to make his transfer permanent, though not at the £25 million they have been quoted by United.

If Smalling wishes to return to England, a host of clubs including Arsenal, Tottenham and Everton have all expressed an interest.

But Smalling might find it hard to walk away from Italy where he has so far greatly enjoyed his time.

“The love that I have felt, especially from the fans but everyone in Rome, it will be an interesting decision to make,” he said recently about his future.

“Having that belief and trust from the manager, from the coach, from the other players too, it’s helping me thrive on the pitch.”  

“When I spoke to [United] it was a case of ‘Let’s have a good season, hopefully it all goes to plan, the team is successful and I am successful’ and at the end of the season we’ll sit down.”

Smalling has kept his side of the deal by having a good season, but it remains to be seen whether this will be enough for United to take him back this summer.