Smalling Still Feeling Strong

For many footballers, this stage of the season may almost be seen as a winding-down process but, for Chris Smalling, the opposite is certainly true. The newly-crowned Players' Player of the Year tells MUTV he is feeling as fit as ever and is determined to help the Reds finish the season on a high in the league and FA Cup...

Firstly, how proud were you to win the Players’ Player of the Year award earlier this week?
It’s a huge honour to win it, especially to get it from the people you work with every day and you see putting in so much hard work too. To have that recognised is a great achievement.

We spoke to you on the awards night about your thoughts on winning it, but has it properly sunk in over the last few days?
Yes, it does give you that good feeling when you know your team-mates have voted for you.

Has it made you realise how far you’ve come in the last 12 to 18 months?
Yes, I think it has and it shows that the hard work I’ve been putting in has been recognised and I’m looking forward to finishing the season strongly.

How do you look back on your time here since you joined in 2010?
I can’t believe how long it’s been since I joined actually. It’s over five years now and it’s flown by. I’ve had lots of good memories in that time.

It’s often said how players come into their prime in their late 20s – it must be nice to win an award as you enter what will hopefully be your best spell?
Definitely. I feel very confident and, as you say, it’s a great age to really kick on and show the world what you can do.

This season, the defensive side of the team has been very impressive with the number of clean sheets we've kept?
It has. As a team, we’ve defended very well and given away very few chances. Throughout the season, the team have worked very hard together and tactically we’re very hard to break down.

Looking ahead to Saturday’s trip to Norwich – they might be struggling in the league but, like us, they need the points which makes them difficult and dangerous opponents doesn’t it?
It does. We know we have a lot to play for and so have they. It’s not a dead rubber, it’s a match where both teams will be under pressure and we’ll have to break them down. Then again, they’re at home and will want to win the game so hopefully that will play into our hands as well.

They’re desperate to finish at least fourth from bottom and you’re desperate to be fourth from top!
Yes, that’s right! When you put it like that, you can see how much there is to play for, for both teams, which should make a good game. One point for us both isn’t enough.

Have you been surprised with how tight it is at both ends of the table?
It’s just one of those seasons when things have been so unexpected, especially at the top where there are so many teams and Leicester who fully deserve to be champions. It’s been very competitive at the top and at the bottom, you know how tight it is, and the outcome at both ends might come down to the last game of the season.

What have you made of Leicester’s achievement and such an underdog winning the title in the way they have?
It’s been amazing. You get underdogs who might win the odd cup tie as anything can happen on the day but, when an underdog wins the title and fully deserves to win it over a long season, it does make you think anything is possible.

Going back to Norwich, it seems like the scrap to survive changes every week so you'll be expecting them to fight for everything?
Yes. I think the difference between one point and three points is massive at this time of the season. Depending on results, you can jump up one or two places or find yourself dropping down a couple every week down at the bottom of the table. It’s just so tight to call given how unpredictable it is.

It could end up being a special year for you personally when you think of how well you’ve played this season, winning this week’s award, and an FA Cup final and Euro 2016 to come…
Yes. We’d like to have been higher in the league, but we’ve still got a lot to fight for in the league and have the Cup final as well and the Euros with England potentially in the summer. There is so much to play for so it’s not about winding down, it’s about kicking on.

With that in mind, how much are you already looking forward to next season and kicking on and trying to help push United up the table?
I’m very much looking forward to that. At the moment, I don’t want the season to end, I want to keep playing games and keep improving because I’m enjoying myself.