Ask a group of United fans who their favourite signing
of the summer is and you’re likely to get only one response:
Chicharito.
The Mexican striker has all the attributes for cult
heroism – he gives his absolute all, would do anything for the
team, has bags of character, talks as quickly as he runs (almost
comically quick), always smiles… oh, and he scores goals for fun.
But while Javier Hernandez has been capturing headlines, hearts and
minds, fellow summer recruit Chris Smalling has been going about
establishing himself, under the radar, as arguably the finest young
defender in England.
His performance against Rangers at Ibrox on Wednesday epitomised
his qualitities; he has undoubted talent, and he is undeterred by
the big stages. Ibrox can be an intimidating atmosphere, but
Smalling dealt with the challenge admirably.
He was plucked from non-league obscurity by Fulham, and even when
it was made public in early 2010 that United had signed him, there
were raised eyebrows from some wondering whether this might have
been just a step too far for the inexperienced youngster. But he is
now well-accustomed to making giant leaps, and he has taken this
latest jump up in standard effortlessly in his stride.
The comparisons with Rio Ferdinand are inescapable: calm and
composed on the ball, excellent passing ability and eagle-eyed
vision, which enables him to read the game and snuff out any
threats early. He doesn’t appear to have been seriously defensively
tested by any forward yet, although that might well be because he’s
alert to danger before it’s too late – and that is the sign of a
truly top defender.
Every time he plays for United he looks as if this is the stage for
him. It’s a wonder he took such a detour to get here. It’s
testimony
that the cream always rises to the top, and that Sir Alex’s eye
for a bargain burgeoning talent is as sharp as ever. Smalling is a
genuinely nice guy too, which, I suppose, is perhaps largely
irrelevant. But it makes you want him to be successful. And his
understated demeanour off the pitch correlates with his quiet but
very certain progress on it.
He earned his first England call-up just weeks before his 21st
birthday (which he celebrated on Monday), and while it’s his
progress at United that we should focus on, it’s another sign that
he is ready to play at the game’s top level.
Smalling forms part of an emerging back four of young players that
could serve United for a decade or more, another potential
masterstroke in the team building qualities of Sir Alex. Rafael,
Smalling, Jonny Evans and Fabio are all gaining valuable experience
– and doing the Reds a great service, too – and while Rio, Nemanja
Vidic and Patrice Evra have plenty of mileage left in their
careers, there’s a new generation below them ready to take over the
mantle in years to come.
Even a player as unflappable as Smalling, with maturity beyond his
years, is likely to go through a rough patch, however. All young
players experience it. But at this club, the manager, the coaches,
the players, and hopefully the majority of fans, there is patience
for young players to learn their trade, hone their skills,
fine-tune their talent and emerge as better players for it.
I believe that Smalling, along with Rafael, is a world-class
defender in the making. And that, for me, after just a few months
and only a half-dozen starts, highlights the impact he has
made already at Old Trafford.
The views expressed in this article are personal to the
author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Manchester
United FC.
