The latest reports have confirmed that English defender Chris Smalling has officially completed his loan move to Serie A club AS Roma from Manchester United on Friday.
Manchester United was in dire straits last season as they finished sixth in the Premier League table and were without any real chance of competing for anything as they sacked Jose Mourinho midway through the campaign. However, new boss Ole Gunnar Solskajer has decided to stamp his authority on the club and has already taken to purchasing a few big names.
The Norwegian managed to lure England center-back Harry Maguire at Old Trafford in a record-breaking deal worth £80 million from Leicester City making him the most expensive defender of all time. But with Maguire’s arrival at Old Trafford, the 26-year-old will easily move into the starting eleven but that means United have to offload a few players as well.
The Red Devils have already sold Belgian forward Romelu Lukaku to Inter Milan and Alexis Sanchez has followed the same destination on a loan deal. And now the latest player to leave the club is Chris Smalling as the 29-year-old has moved to Italian club AS Roma on a loan deal.
Smalling spent nine seasons at Manchester United but Maguire’s arrival pushed him further down the pecking order and Solskjaer explained that he would not be able to use the England star on a regular basis.
Roma is willing to pay Manchester United €3 million for the services of Smalling and the defender expressed his feelings on joining the Italian capital side, “This is the perfect opportunity for me. The chance to experience a new league, with a big team that has got big aspirations is exactly what I needed,
Smalling’s contract at Manchester United expires in the summer of 2022 and Roma do not have the option to but the 29-year-old.
