Manchester United Defender Chris Smalling Wants to Revive His Club Career After Being Overlooked for England
After being overlooked by England Manager Gareth Southgate, Man United Defender Chris Smalling is determined to cement his place in Jose Mourinho's side.
Manchester, September 17: Manchester United defender Chris Smalling is not worried about the England snub and is rather focusing on re-establishing himself at Manchester United.
Smalling was not part of the England squad for the summer's World Cup in Russia and has been overlooked for games against Spain and Switzerland this season. "It's obviously difficult (watching the World Cup), I am not going to lie," Smalling was quoted as saying by ESPNFC. Marcus Rashford’s Goal Helps England Defeat Switzerland 1–0 in an International Friendly.
"You want to be involved for a top club, you want to be involved for your country as well and it was a disappointment, but I had to turn it into a positive to a point where I have my rest and I have a full pre-season which I have not had for a while. It was a difficult time but you have to try and take the positives." Smalling has 31 caps for England.
"I haven't had any discussions (with Southgate) but I am lucky I play for a top club and we have got lots of games and that's where all my focus is going to be now because Man United is my sole focus right now," Smalling stated. EPL 2018–19 Matchday 5 Highlights: Manchester United Cools Off Watford With 2–1 Away Win, Hops to 8th Spot in Premier League Standings
"I felt last year I played a lot of games and I hope this year to play a lot of games and as much as I can. "Smalling will be part of the United squad that travels to Switzerland on Tuesday to kick off their Champions League campaign.
The players will play on the 3G surface at the Stade de Suisse Wankdorf ahead of the meeting with the Swiss champions on Wednesday. "I have played on a 3G pitch for England against Lithuania a couple of times," added Smalling. Paul Pogba Sparks Yet Another Controversy on His Future With Manchester United
"We will be travelling over a little earlier to make sure we train on that pitch so we can get used to it, but on the back of two away wins (against Burnley and Watford) I think we can build that momentum at a crucial time of the month where there are so many games."
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 18, 2018 11:44 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).