Smalling misses Man Utd but is happy to no longer be ‘part of the furniture’

The England international defender is currently taking in a season-long loan at Serie A giants Roma after slipping down the Old Trafford pecking order

Chris Smalling admits to missing , but is happy to no longer be “part of the furniture” after sealing a season-long loan move to .

The 29-year-old has been part of the first-team set-up at Old Trafford since 2010, with over 320 appearances taken in for the Red Devils.

He did, however, find himself slipping down the pecking order over the summer as United landed Harry Maguire in a record-breaking £80 million ($98m) deal.

Smalling eventually headed for the exits, with the decision taken to seek a new challenge and a fresh start in Italy.

Severing ties with United - albeit only for 12 months initially - has not been easy, but a man with 31 caps to his name is enjoying the experience of leaving his comfort zone.

“I do [miss Man Utd] because I was there for so many years and I was used to be being part of the furniture there,” Smalling told talkSPORT.

“But I am enjoying my new chapter, and hopefully I can keep affecting performances on the pitch and we can have a successful season.

“But right now I’m really enjoying being in .”

There have been hurdles for Smalling to overcome at Roma, such as the language barrier, but he has tackled those head on and his fine form of late has sparked talk of a possible England recall.

For now, the classy centre-half is focused very much on the present and not what his future may hold for club and country.

Smalling added: “I’m starting to pick up things the manager is saying in Italian, and even with the players I’m lucky as quite a few of them speak English.

“I’m definitely picking up a lot of football phrases and a lot of basic phrases that are helping me interact with the team on and off the pitch.

“I am feeling very settled; my family is over here and the dogs are over here, so everyone is settled. When my family are happy and I am happy it shows on the pitch.

“Overall I can’t ask for much more in terms of my stay, which has been short so far, and at the minute my focus is on making sure this team has a settled season.

“The manager’s targets are not just about getting back in the – it is about winning something.

“That is where my full focus is, and come the end of the season when we’ve won something and achieved something we can see where it goes.

“Right now it is all about focus on the pitch.”