Manchester United defender Chris Smalling has joined Roma on loan, the Italian club have announced.
The 29-year-old, who signed a new deal until 2022 in December, was told by United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer that he could not guarantee him regular first-team football this season.
Therefore, Smalling is set to spend the campaign at the Serie A club.
Manchester – the club, the people, the city, has always held a special place in my heart but I still have as much desire to play regular first team football as I did when I joined the club over 9 years ago.
AS Roma is a fantastic club, with a lot of history… pic.twitter.com/jajbsJ79M1
— Chris Smalling (@ChrisSmalling) August 30, 2019
‘This is the perfect opportunity for me,’ he told Roma’s website. ‘The chance to experience a new league, with a big team that has got big aspirations is exactly what I needed.’
Confirmation of @ChrisSmalling‘s loan move to AS Roma until June 2020. Good luck, Chris!
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) August 30, 2019