Sir Alex Ferguson adds a talented young centre back to his Old Trafford stable.

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Manchester United have revealed Fulham defender Chris Smalling, who had been linked with Arsenal, will join them for the start of 2010-11 season.
Smalling, 20, was playing non-league football for Maidstone until 2008 and only one of his league appearances for Fulham has been in the starting XI.
It has not been said how long a deal the Greenwich-born player has signed.
United have had defensive problems this season with both John O’Shea and Rio Ferdinand suffering injury problems.
Smalling’s first-team debut for Fulham was on the final day of last season, and his first start was in the Europa League game away at CSKA Sofia in September last year.

Fulham manager Roy Hodgson was evidently impressed by his performance, saying he had “played with a maturity I’m not entitled to expect from a player so young”.
Smalling’s only Premier League start was on 28 December, at Chelsea, where he scored an own goal in a 2-1 defeat. (BBC Sport)

Well that sort of came out of nowhere. No sooner had this rumour started to emerge, and it was reported here on COS this morning, and now it has been confirmed. Manchester United clearly felt they needed more cover in the centre of their defence and now they have captured the talented, if inexperienced, Fulham defender.

Reports have stated that a deal could cost up to around £9m and that the former Maidstone man will not join the Old Trafford oufit until the beginning of next season. Either way it could turn out to be a smart investment by Sir Alex Ferguson and one he has made right under the noses of a great many interested parties.

The addition comes at a time when Rio Ferdinand is struggling to recapture the form that had made him of the most dependable centre backs across Europe. Injury and poor performances have greatly hampered the England international and with that mind Manchester United clearly felt they needed to refresh things at the back.

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