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What does the arrival of Benfica’s Victor Lindelof mean for Manchester United’s Chris Smalling?
Manchester United have reached an agreement with Benfica for the transfer of Victor Lindelof, as announced on their , and this has undoubtedly led to speculation surrounding the futures of current squad members.
Chris Smalling is one of the men in the firing line, having failed to improve on his stellar campaign under Louis Van Gaal. The linked the Englishman to Everton, Crystal Palace and West Ham recently, with all three clubs set to compete over a player that will be moving this summer.
To continue playing top-level football, a move to Everton would give Smalling the best platform, with the Toffees competing in the Europa League next season. The 27-year-old would also give the Toffees an upgrade in terms of physicality on both Phil Jagielka and Ashley Williams, while he is also capable of playing in a back three.
Smalling can bring the ball out of defence and find a pass into the attackers as shown by his stats last campaign. The Manchester United centre-back completed 88% of 356 passes, with 70.7% of his attempts going forward.
However, the Englishman could find himself moving to London with both Crystal Palace and West Ham interested.
For manager-less Palace, Smalling could be an alternative to Mamadou Sakho, who joined on loan in January and performed incredibly. The Englishman is similar to the Liverpool loanee, in that he looks slightly clumsy on the ball, but his defensive instincts are top drawer and he is not shy of putting himself on the line.
Joining the Eagles would give Smalling a new task to consider as he would go from a club challenging at the top, to a team expected to fight for survival and finish mid-table.
West Ham would also offer the Englishman a new challenge, with the Hammers looking to progress on their average first season at the Olympic Stadium by contesting for a Europa League spot. With Jose Fonte and Winston Reid getting overpowered at times last season, Slaven Bilic could see Smalling as the perfect man to add power and physicality to his side.
The former Fulham defender has an array of options and needs to consider what is best for his career, as staying at United could see him stuck on the bench. Wherever he ends up, he will hope that he can avoid injury and bring his experience to help his side achieve all they can.
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