Chris Smalling’s appreciation of Nemanja Matic has gone to a new level since the Serbian signed for Manchester United.
The midfielder moved to Old Trafford earlier this month in a £40million deal that surprised many. Having played an integral role in Chelsea’s two most recent title winning seasons the London club’s decision to sanction his sale to a rival was an unusual one.
Matic has wasted no time making an impression following the switch, with the midfielder putting in a man-of-the-match performance in the recent 4-0 win over West Ham.
Smalling has been hugely impressed with the new arrival.
‘Obviously I’ve watched him from afar and been up against him for Chelsea. I always knew he was a good player but coming up close to him in training and how he’s performed with us, it’s gone to a whole new level of appreciation,’ the England international exclusively told Metro.co.uk.
‘I see him working, making play out and not only does he close down the ball but he’s spraying those passes as well so my appreciation for him has gone up a level.’
Smalling, who was speaking at the creation of a mural by graffiti artist Alec Monopoly in conjunction with Manchester United’s official timekeeper TAG Heuer, put Matic’s quick start down to two things.
‘I think his age helps and obviously he comes from a club in the Premier League so he’s not needed very long to settle in at all,’ he explained.
Another new arrival at Old Trafford this summer is Victor Lindelof, however the former Benfica defender is yet to make the same impact as Matic. Jose Mourinho omitted the £31m signing from the squad that faced West Ham on Sunday, saying the Swedish defender needs time to adapt to the English game.
When the 23-year-old does get his chance Smalling has backed him to handle the pressure of being a Manchester United player.
‘Victor’s been a great lad to get along with and someone who’s English is very good as well so I think that always helps [to settle in]. He’s come from a club that has big expectations as well so he’s used to this pressure.’
Smalling believes that the new arrivals, which includes Romelu Lukaku, coupled with players returning from injury has put the Red Devils in perhaps their healthiest position since Sir Alex Ferguson stepped down as manager four years ago.
‘I think it [the squad] has got stronger each year and I think you can see in pre-season that more often than not the team changed at half-time and you can see there were that many experienced players on the pitch as well.
‘So I think we do have a great squad and we have a lot of players coming back from injury as well so we couldn’t be in a better position.’
Manchester United will look to continue their promising start to the season when they take on Swansea this weekend.
Chris Smalling was speaking at the unveiling of a mural created by Alec Monopoly at Old Trafford in collaboration with TAG Heuer, Manchester United’s official timekeeper and global watch partner.
MORE : Tottenham will only consider ‘outrageous’ offers for Manchester United and Chelsea target Danny Rose
Share this with