England coach Roy Hodgson says Manchester United defender Chris Smalling is a big part of his plans.

Hodgson signed Smalling for Fulham from non-league Maidestone United.

"Chris broke into the Fulham team when I was there," Hodgson told the Mail on Sunday. "He played only a handful of games at the top level before Alex [Ferguson] made the club what they thought was a fantastic offer for him [reportedly £8million]. That's going to turn out very cheap."