Smalling set to play against Manchester United

Chris Smalling

made his first start in a month against

on Sunday. The English defender missed nine matches due to his knee injury, but he is ready to feature in his side’s Europa League clash against

on Thursday. In a post-match interview after his side’s 3-2 defeat against Cagliari,

Paulo Fonseca

praised Smalling for his performance.

“He did very well. It was important to get Chris at least 45 minutes of playing time, he had more than that, and I think it was positive,"

the Roma boss told

.

"Now he has the chance to play against Manchester United.

“Unfortunately, we were unable to give some playing time to all those who were coming back from injury, but Chris and Leonardo Spinazzola were the most important ones to get minutes in their legs.”

Smalling joined

on a €15 million transfer from the Red Devils last summer. The 31-year-old has appeared in 15 league matches for the Giallorossi in their current campaign as they sit seventh in Serie A with 55 points from their 33 matches.

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