Source: Team_Talk
Smalling: I owe Cottagers a lot
Manchester United defender Chris Smalling has admitted he owes former club Fulham a huge debt of gratitude.[LNB] Smalling will return to Craven Cottage with United on Sunday less than two months after joining the Old Trafford outfit.[LNB]It says much for the respect Sir Alex Ferguson had for Roy Hodgson's regime that he allowed Smalling to remain with Fulham for the remainder of last season, even though the £7million transfer was completed in time for him to move during the January transfer window.[LNB]The benefits of life under Hodgson's command are not lost on the 21-year-old either, so while his old boss is no longer around, there are a few people he wants to catch up with.[LNB]"I owe Fulham a lot," said Smalling. "They gave me my chance.[LNB]"When I finished school they gave me the chance to develop. I was in the reserves and then broke into the first-team squad last year.[LNB]"I made a lot of friends there, a lot of coaches who helped me are still there.[LNB]"Billy McKinley gave me a lot of support over the last couple of years and he deserves a lot of credit.[LNB]"It will be a bit weird going back but I hope it will be an enjoyable day."[LNB]At a time when Sir Alex Ferguson is decrying the "kamikaze" spending within the Premier League, the capture of Smalling definitely came with an eye on the future.[LNB]The Greenwich-born player is behind Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand and Jonny Evens in the central defensive pecking order, where he also faces challenges from Wes Brown and John O'Shea for the opportunities that do become available.[LNB]However, rather than worry about becoming another Englishman whose route into the top flight is blocked, Smalling believes the lessons he will learn over the next few years are going to be invaluable.[LNB]"When you go out on the training field there are a bunch of players who have played the game to the highest level and that spurs you on," he said.[LNB]"I am just starting out in my career and you see the players here who have established themselves and had the consistency to play at this level for so many years. That has to be an aim for me.[LNB]"Nemanja and Rio have a very solid relationship and then there is Wes and Jonny. They have played many games over the years but there is a crop of youngsters here looking on.[LNB]"You have to work hard every day and take that opportunity when it comes along."[LNB]Smalling admits that in these days of sophisticated academy structures, to come through the non-league route, as he did with Maidstone, is becoming increasingly rare.[LNB]But there are enough examples down the years for Smalling to know it can be done and he does not buy into the claim English players are becoming starved of opportunity.[LNB]"The opportunities are there," he said.[LNB]"It doesn't happen a lot these days where a non-league player comes through to professional football. There is a lot of money being thrown around to buy players. But there are examples.[LNB]"Even when you are around the England Under-21 squad, there are players who have been given chances at their clubs.[LNB]"When you go back to yours you have to work hard and hope the manager has faith."
