I owe it all to Sir Alex but I’d be happy to upset him at Hampden
C HRIS SMALLING knows this is one occasion when his mentor will be willing him to fail. Come kick-off at Hampden, Sir Alex Ferguson’s patriotic pride will outweigh all other considerations.
Smalling is acutely aware of the passion Ferguson harbours for Scotland. And for football. Three years working together at Manchester United set standards the centre-back still adheres to.
It was Ferguson who paid Fulham £12million to bring Smalling to Old Trafford in 2010. Convinced of his potential, the Scot worked to turn the London-born defender into a senior international. Smalling will now earn his 31st cap if successful in pushing for a starting place in Gareth Southgate’s line-up on Saturday.
He knows what will await him in Ferguson’s home city, having relished the atmosphere at Celtic Park when England won 3-1 in 2014. But that was only a friendly. Scotland’s World Cup ambitions are on the line this weekend.
Ferguson will be a most interested spectator. Although now four years into his retirement, the 75-year-old remains a global ambassador for United. And an enduring influence on Smalling.
‘I see Sir Alex from time to time still,’ he said. ‘When we travel away to the European games, he is often on our aeroplane.
‘We get to see him after games and it’s always a huge boost. That’s because of who he is and what he has accomplished.
‘We’re lucky on our trips that we get to see the likes of Sir Bobby Charlton and Sir Alex — and it just raises your game when you see such legends.
‘I know the intensity he brought to things. And, in terms of Scotland, I also remember our game at Celtic Park.
‘That was a very good performance from England. The atmosphere was great and that’s something I’m really looking forward to again.
‘Of course, it’s an important game in terms of points, but I think the fact we are so close raises it into a bigger game.
‘The fact we play a home nation makes it even bigger. If we can get that win, it really sets us up.’
Smalling’s relationship with the managers who followed Ferguson at Old Trafford has not always been so smooth.
Jose Mourinho is the third — after David Moyes and Louis van Gaal — to attempt to restore United to the levels regularly witnessed during Ferguson’s extraordinary 26-year reign.
He is doing so with typically abrasive man-management.
Smalling has effectively been accused of being unwilling to push himself through the pain barrier. Sidelined for seven weeks by a knee problem sustained on England duty, the defender’s approach to recovery was called ‘cautious’ by Mourinho in April.
Smalling insists he has no issue with the Portuguese, but made it clear he was willing to put his body on the line.
‘I don’t feel as though I have anything to prove,’ he insisted. ‘He knows my character and the type of player I am. That’s not changed.
‘All managers are demanding and it’s good when they show frustration. If he wasn’t interested, he’d leave you alone, so I take it as a positive and a challenge to get fit as quickly as possible.
‘I would have done that regardless of what was said.
‘For a couple of seasons before, I’ve been injury-free, but this season has been frustrating. That’s part of football, but I’m fit now.
‘I think (Mourinho’s criticism) was directed at everyone. We had a lot of injuries at the time and he was frustrated a lot of players were not available.
‘He knew the picture in terms of liaising with the medical staff, but it’s just a global frustration.’
Mourinho also criticised Smalling in November, claiming: ‘He doesn’t feel he can play 100 per cent without pain.’
The centre-back had been sidelined since taking an injection to get through a game against Chelsea a month earlier.
Mourinho’s words looked misguided when it emerged Smalling had broken a toe in two places.
‘At the time I did the injury, I played on, but there was obviously a break,’ he reflected.
‘He didn’t know the full extent at that time, but you just keep playing until you physically can’t any more.
‘That was the story with the break. All of us professionals want to play. No player wants not to play. You just get on with the rehab and try to get back as quickly as possible.
‘In the Chelsea game, I proved I could play with an injection and, to be honest, I don’t think any player is ever 100 per cent.
‘If you ask the whole squad, there will be something niggly.
‘It’s not always about being 100 per cent, it’s about getting on the pitch and doing a job.’
Smalling finished a problematic campaign on a high by helping United secure the Europa League title with a 2-0 victory over Ajax last month.
He is now determined to extend that positivity on to the international stage with victory at Hampden — a game England approach without regular captain Wayne Rooney.
‘The pressure was on to make it a good season and it is brilliant to take that into the England camp,’ added Smalling.
‘It’s been a hectic season and I’ve had two big injuries, but it’s nice to be able to finish strong. Now, with England, I hope to keep things going.
‘I see myself as a leader. I’ve been lucky enough to wear the armband at United but, with or without it, it’s about being a leader and a vocal person when times are not so good.
‘Players look for you to bring that strength and it’s something the England manager has emphasised. It doesn’t matter who’s the captain, he wants more leaders.’