Fulham defender Smalling: Difficult rejecting Arsenal for Man Utd
Fulham defender Chris Smalling admits it was difficult choosing Manchester United ahead of boyhood idols Arsenal.
Arsenal wanted him and it was a wrench to turn them down because he is a fan, but he has a similar “gut instinct” about United boss Sir Alex Ferguson to the one that drew him to Roy Hodgson.
In Smalling’s speed, ability on the ball and lean 6ft 4in frame, Ferguson sees something of Rio Ferdinand, and clinched the signing by travelling to sweet-talk after he played at White Hart Lane.
Smalling told the Sunday Times: “I was nervous, thinking, do you say ‘Alex’ or ‘Sir Alex’, but he quickly got the conversation going. It did feel a bit unreal. A man who’s produced so many players and won so many trophies is sitting there talking to me. I never thought that would happen when I was at Maidstone, or even a year ago in Fulham’s reserves.”
He knows that “no doubt there’ll be pressure because of my fee but when you get to the higher levels of the game, pressure is something you have to face and I’m just getting it younger than some. Hopefully by training and playing with those players [at United] I’ll learn how to handle it. My approach is I go there as a new player and need to get to know the staff and what they want, and the price tag will go to the back of my mind.”
Tribal Games
Tribalfootball Store
- home
- News
- Leagues
- A-League
- Argentine Primera División
- English Premier League
- Football League One
- French Ligue 2
- German Bundesliga 2
- Scottish Premier League
- Swiss Challenge League
- Swiss Super League
- Belgian First Division
- Brazil Serie B
- Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
- Chinese Super League
- English Championship
- Eredivisie
- German Bundesliga
- Italian Serie A
- Italian Serie B
- Italian Serie C1
- J-League
- Ligue 1
- MLS
- Portuguese Liga
- Prva HNL
- Russian Premier League
- Segunda División
- Segunda División B
- Spanish Liga
- Super League Greece
- Turkish Super Lig
- transfer news
- Results & Fixtures
- football store
- video games
Results & Fixtures
Matches
| Home | Away | Score | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat Feb 11th | |||
| Manchester United | Liverpool | 2 - 1 | 12:45 |
| Everton | Chelsea | 2 - 0 | 15:00 |
| Swansea City | Norwich City | 2 - 3 | 15:00 |
| Aston Villa | Manchester City | - | 15:00 |
| Fulham | Stoke City | 2 - 1 | 15:00 |
| Blackburn Rovers | Queens Park Rangers | 3 - 2 | 15:00 |
| Bolton Wanderers | Wigan Athletic | 1 - 2 | 15:00 |
| Sunderland | Arsenal | 1 - 2 | 15:00 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | Newcastle United | 5 - 0 | 17:30 |
| Sun Feb 12th | |||
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | West Bromwich Albion | 1 - 5 | 13:30 |
| Aston Villa | Manchester City | 0 - 1 | 16:00 |
Tables
| Team | P | W | D | L | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester City | 25 | 19 | 3 | 3 | 45 | 60 |
| Manchester United | 25 | 18 | 4 | 3 | 36 | 58 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 25 | 16 | 5 | 4 | 24 | 53 |
| Arsenal | 25 | 13 | 4 | 8 | 13 | 43 |
| Chelsea | 25 | 12 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 43 |
| Newcastle United | 25 | 12 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 42 |
| Liverpool | 25 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 39 |
| Norwich City | 25 | 9 | 8 | 8 | -4 | 35 |
| Sunderland | 25 | 9 | 6 | 10 | 8 | 33 |
| Everton | 25 | 9 | 6 | 10 | -1 | 33 |
| Swansea City | 25 | 7 | 9 | 9 | -4 | 30 |
| Fulham | 25 | 7 | 9 | 9 | -5 | 30 |
| Stoke City | 25 | 8 | 6 | 11 | -14 | 30 |
| West Bromwich Albion | 25 | 8 | 5 | 12 | -6 | 29 |
| Aston Villa | 25 | 6 | 10 | 9 | -5 | 28 |
| Queens Park Rangers | 25 | 5 | 6 | 14 | -17 | 21 |
| Blackburn Rovers | 25 | 5 | 6 | 14 | -19 | 21 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 25 | 5 | 6 | 14 | -21 | 21 |
| Bolton Wanderers | 25 | 6 | 2 | 17 | -22 | 20 |
| Wigan Athletic | 25 | 4 | 7 | 14 | -27 | 19 |
Related Stories
- Jan 17 Ferdinand welcomes Scholes and Henry back into the Premiership fold
- Jan 17 Wenger demands Arsenal buck up ahead of Man Utd clash
- Feb 14 West Brom, Fulham working Portuguese transfer market
- Feb 12 Man Utd boss Ferguson plans Nani comeback for Ajax clash
- Feb 06 Man Utd boss Ferguson: Chelsea's Cahill should've been sent off
Popular Stories
- Feb 14 Ronaldo hands Florentino Real Madrid contract nightmare
- Feb 14 Real Madrid coach Mourinho prepared to replace Casillas with new keeper signing
- Feb 14 Man Utd agreement for Gaitan still watertight with Benfica
- Feb 14 Man City rebel Tevez: Man Utd stars, Ferguson are the BEST!
- Feb 14 Chelsea players attacked AVB, Cech in crisis meeting


Comments (4)
im a barca fan but every young player who turns down arsenal for other teams is not very smart. arsenal is alongside barcelona the best team in europe to help young players to reach their best form.
kyke bartly, havard nordwich will be a better players
This is a non-story. I've read that article. Chris Smalling (along with his deceased father and whole family) support Man United.
Post new comment