Manchester United defender Chris Smalling caught the eye of scouts while playing for England schoolboys.

Smalling was at Maidstone United at the time.

After excelling against Australia, Middlesbrough and Reading scouts were the first to notice him but Smalling ended up at Fulham, under Maidstone's other graduate to the Premier League.

"That came about by me talking to Les Reed and Roy Hodgson, who used to play for Maidstone," chief executive Bill Williams told the Sunday Express.

Two years after joining Fulham, Manchester United came calling in a £10million deal.

"He has just sent us a couple of shirts signed by all the United players for our sporting auction," Williams added. "They are like little bits of gold dust."