Former Manchester United defender Chris Smalling has returned to England as a free agent searching for a new club after leaving Saudi Pro League side Al-Fayha. The 36-year-old spent two years in Saudi Arabia and wants to continue his playing career in his homeland.
Smalling began his career in non-league football with Maidstone before joining Fulham and then Manchester United in 2010. He played for Manchester United for 10 years, making more than 200 appearances under managers Sir Alex Ferguson, David Moyes, and Jose Mourinho. During his time at Old Trafford, he won two Premier League titles between 2010 and 2013, as well as the FA Cup and the Europa League, while earning 31 caps for England. He left Old Trafford for Italian club Roma in 2019, initially on loan, before moving to Al-Fayha in 2024. He played 64 times and scored two goals during his two-year stay with the Saudi team.
Fitness and recovery
Speaking to BBC Sport about his physical condition as he looks for his next move, Smalling said: 'I know my body now better than when I was 26 and that's shown in the games I'm playing.'
'When I was younger, I remember Sir Alex was implementing certain things, like Ryan Giggs doing yoga,' Smalling said. 'When you get beyond 30, each year is precious in terms of enjoying playing and being passionate about football.'
'Actual training is a very short time. The longevity and recovery starts very early in terms of what I'm eating and doing between sessions, even down to my supplements now,' he said. 'In pre-season we have blood tests and the clubs make recommendations. I went one step further and kind of had genetics testing, which goes deep into everything. A lot of my supplements were changed because of that.'
Future plans
Away from football, the defender is working on education projects, but he confirmed he is not ready to retire. 'Once my football career comes to an end, I can put more time to them but at the minute it's all focused on playing because I have that passion and drive and physically my stats are good,' he said.
