Chris Smalling has been an integral part of the Roma team for a number of years now but his game has enhanced further under Jose Mourinho.
He has now played 150 games under the Portuguese boss, a century of those at Manchester United. The defender was not always a regular under Mourinho but he was well liked.
Smalling played a pivotal role in Roma’s Europa Conference League success last season, producing an immense display in the final. He’s kicked on again this season too, scoring three goals and keeping four clean sheets.
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The 32-year-old looks to be playing the best football of his career. It’s a reflection on what might have been for United duo Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof.
Bailly is currently out on loan at Marseille after failing to play for United competitively in 2022. The centre-half was brought in by Mourinho during his first summer, arriving from Villarreal in 2016 and had his best season in the 2016/17 campaign.
Playing 37 times and keeping 19 clean sheets, he ended up lifting the Europa League and League Cup - United's last trophies. Lindelof joined the following summer from Benfica.
After a mixed start, he began to find consistency under Mourinho before the boss was shown the door in December 2018.
More recently, Lindelof has started the last two games for United and played against Manchester City, but these were due to injuries to Raphael Varane and Harry Maguire. The Sweden captain is not considered a first choice pick anymore.
Smalling became a bit-part United player too and eventually left permanently for Roma in 2020 after a successful season-long loan. He’s enjoyed regular football since and has become beloved in the Italian capital.
Lindelof found favour with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, playing more than 120 times for him in all. However, he never quite reached the potential United fans had hoped for. The same applies to Bailly, who featured just 43 times for the Norwegian.
Mourinho has taken Smalling’s game to another level at Roma and the pair have lifted silverware more recently than United have. Four managers down the line, Bailly and Lindelof are now clawing for game time at United - Bailly forcing a loan because of his prospects.
And with both four years younger than Smalling's form may lead them both to wonder what might have been if United had been more patient with Mourinho and he was given more time to seep out their qualities.
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