SMALLING HITS BACK AT SOUTHGATE

CHRIS SMALLING has questioned Gareth Southgate’s decision to drop him and vowed to prove the England manager wrong before the World Cup. Southgate also faced a fresh attack from Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho last night over England’s treatment of the injured Phil Jones. Smalling, 28 today, was axed for the friendlies against Germany and Brazil, with Southgate claiming John Stones, Eric Dier and Harry Maguire are better at passing the ball out from central defence. ‘Was I surprised? Yes, I was,’ said Smalling, ahead of tonight’s Group A match in Basle. ‘You don’t play for one of the biggest clubs in the world for as long as I have, and win most trophies bar the Champions League, without being able to do everything a top defender needs to do. ‘If my season carries on like this, I think it gives him maybe no choice in the summer but to pick me.’ Mourinho went so far as saying he hopes Smalling does not win back his England place, given how unhappy he was after Jones aggravated a thigh injury in the Germany game following six painkilling injections. The FA believe they kept United’s medical team updated on Jones’s treatment, but Mourinho said: ‘We were not informed. They consulted my doctor in relation to Phil Jones with a little problem in the knee. Then no more contact, then the local injections before the match.’ BASLE (probable, 3-4-3): Vaclik; Akanji, Suchy, Balanta; Lang, Serey Die, Zuffi, Petretta; Steffen, Oberlin, Elyounoussi. MANCHESTER UNITED (probable, 4-2-3-1): De Gea; Darmian, Smalling, Lindelof, Blind; Pogba, Herrera; Lingard, Mkhitaryan, Rashford; Lukaku.

ROMELU LUKAKU will pay Los Angeles Police £340 to avoid the prospect of jail after repeated call-outs over parties when he was in Beverly Hills last summer.