Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand at Manchester
United.
Chris Smalling believes the departures of Nemanja Vidic and Rio
Ferdinand from Manchester United have forced him to "step up"
his standards.
Former United captain Vidic and fellow centre-back Ferdinand
left Old Trafford in 2014, bringing to an end a remarkably
successful defensive partnership that helped to bring five
Premier League titles, the Champions League and the Club
World Cup to Old Trafford over seven years.
United boss Louis van Gaal has been criticised for failing to
spend big on defensive reinforcements in the past but the form
of Smalling this season has been a real positive in an otherwise
inconsistent campaign so far for the club.
And the England international admits he is relishing the
challenge of attempting to fill the void left by Vidic and
Ferdinand.
"I think with two of the older players going in Vida and Rio there
was a case where you need someone to step up," he said. "I
saw that as my opportunity to step up and touch wood it will
keep going.
"Being around players like that and training with them and
knowing how they go about their business on a day-to-day
basis, as soon as those two left there was a big void that
someone had to step up and I have tried to do my best to try
and make an impact as much as they have.
"I knew when I did get a consistent run that I could go from
height to height.
"At the moment I am getting confident and I am just looking
forward to the next game, to putting down a marker and keep
building."
Smalling has been praised for his form by both Van Gaal and
captain Wayne Rooney, who has compared his international
team-mate to the very best defenders in the world based on his
performances this season.
"When you hear such good praise, especially from Wazza and
the manager, you just want to show them that it's not just
words that are meaningless," said the 25-year-old.
"He says a lot of things that I try to take on board and I think he
wants you to express yourself, and when he shows a trust in
you I just want to repay it and do as well as I can."
Smalling scored the winner in the Champions League victory
over Wolfsburg last month and was denied a goal by a fine Joe
Hart save in the dying minutes of the 0-0 draw with Manchester
City on Sunday.
The former Fulham man admits he wants to improve his record
in the opposition penalty area, adding: "I think every manager
wants a player to chip in and, as a centre-half, you should chip
in with four or five goals a season because of the amount of set
plays we get. That is a target of mine.
"I am getting a few chances now and hopefully I can keep
popping up and help with the burden on the strikers."
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