Smalling Enjoys Work With Valdes And Di Maria

Chris Smalling says the experiences, successes and overall qualities of former La Liga stars Victor Valdes and Angel Di Maria have made them even more exciting players to work with at Manchester United.

Valdes, who signed for the Reds earlier this month, served Barcelona for a trophy-laden 12-year period in which he won 21 major honours, including the Champions League on three separate occasions.

Meanwhile Di Maria has become one of the world’s most feared attackers, aiding Real Madrid to ‘La Decima’ – the club’s tenth European title – and has been named in this year’s FIFPro World XI for that and his contribution towards Argentina reaching the 2014 FIFA World Cup final.

Despite having only worked with United’s new goalkeeper for a short period of time, Smalling has been impressed not only by tales of Valdes’ past, but also about what the Spaniard currently brings to the table.

The centre-back told MUTV: "He (Valdes) is someone that we all look up to through what he’s achieved already in his career but you can see that he’s nowhere near done yet.

"On the training field he’s so sharp and you can see that he’s very agile. He’s such a great addition and is a name that really belongs here at Manchester United.

“We’ve heard a few stories from him and quite a few people here have asked him questions. Barcelona is another great club and you want to get some insight of what happens abroad as well.”

Speaking as a player and as a football fan, Smalling’s delight at working alongside a player as talented and as highly regarded as Di Maria was evident when he was quizzed on the tricky Argentinian.

“I imagine Angel is a player that any fan would want in their team and any player in the world would want to play with,” the defender enthused.

“We were lucky enough to be able to get him. I remember watching his matches for Real Madrid last season – he was up and down the pitch, creating so many goals. He is a special player.”