Why Manchester United should offer Chris Smalling a new contract
According to Daily Star, Manchester United are ready to offer Chris Smalling an extension to his current contract that expires in less than 12 months. Although manager Jose Mourinho wanted to sign defensive reinforcements in the summer to bolster his options at the back, the manager is an admirer of the 28-year-old and his future at the club is safe (h/t Daily Star).
The English international moved to Old Trafford in 2010 from Fulham and has established himself as one of the mainstays in United’s backline over the years. The 28-year-old has made a total of 294 appearances for the Red Devils across all competitions, finding the back of the net 18 times.
Smalling, who earns £80,000-a-week, has clearly returned to favour under Jose Mourinho and the centre-back has started four of United’s first six games in the Premier League. Along with Luke Shaw, Smalling has been the pick of United’s backline and has produced some consistent performances this term. While United were guilty of some shambolic defending in the earlier games of the season, Smalling was the one who stood up and shouldered the bulk of the workload at the back.
He has not only discharged his own duties with utmost diligence but has also covered up for Victor Lindelof’s flaws. The Swedish centre-back has endured a lean patch this season and has looked pretty ordinary with his positioning. He was sloppy over the weekend as United took on Wolverhampton Wanderers and Smalling had to cover extra ground on numerous occasions to keep the visitors at bay.
Since the departure of other established centre-backs like Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, Smalling has been United’s trusted man at the back. The Manchester outfit was plagued by some horrible performances from Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof in the initial stages of the season, which was later aggravated by Phil Jones’ injury. But Smalling, who has often been the forgotten man for United, put his hand up and has produced some solid performances.
Let us get a deeper insight into his performances in the ongoing campaign. Statistics reveal that he has been head-and-shoulders above the other centre-backs in the team. Smalling has won a whopping 4.3 aerial duels per game as compared to Lindelof’s 1.5 and Bailly’s 1.3. While Smalling has managed to make 4.8 clearances per game, Lindelof has registered a respectable 3.8 and Bailly is way behind with 2.5 per game.
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Hence, it is quite clear that Smalling has, by far, been United’s best defender of the season and it will be harsh if the club do not offer him a new contract somewhere down the line. Irrespective of whether United sign defensive reinforcements in the upcoming transfer windows, they should be wary of Smalling’s contract situation. It will be hard to replace him because he has been at the club for a long time and is one of their most reliable performers.
