da brwin： Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal has predicted Chris Smalling to be the future captain of the Red Devils, according to reports from the Daily Star.
da bet7k： This has been a drastic transformation from a year ago, in which the centre-back was branded ‘stupid’ by his manager for being sent off in the Manchester derby following two yellow cards in succession.
WANT MORE? >> Manchester United Transfer News | Latest Transfer News
But after being told to change his ways by the Dutchman, Smalling is now an integral part of the Man United defence, starting the last 22 fixtures and named as the club’s vice-captain.
And Van Gaal had nothing but praise for the 25-year-old, saying that he has nobody to thank but himself for his incredible improvement the past 12 months.
He said: “Every player makes the steps by himself. I put him in the situation, help and advise him and then it is up to the player to take it on board or not. It is his responsibility.
“He has done it by himself. It is about how we defend as a team. He is a part of that and I wanted him to speak more (on the pitch). He also has the talent to speak.
“Because of that I made him a leader of the team. He has also made steps in a tactical way.
“When you give instruction in terms of organisation you need someone to understand that.
“Rooney is the captain and then there is Carrick, but when they are gone then Chris Smalling can do that. So I push him also in that situation.”
The Red Devils will hope to continue from their emphatic 3-0 win against Everton in the previous gameweek, with league leaders Manchester City coming to Old Trafford in a top-of-the-table encounter this Sunday.
[ad_pod id=’writeforus’ align=’center’]