Manchester United defender Chris Smalling admits he has a big decision to make regarding his future.
Smalling is currently on loan in Italy at AS Roma and he has to take a call on whether to continue playing in Rome or return to England to play for parent club Manchester United.
Smalling has featured in 20 of Roma’s last 21 league matches, playing the full 90 minutes in each of those games.
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Speaking to Sky Sports, the England international said: “When I first came it was exciting but also daunting because you’re not sure what to expect.
“New country, new experience. But considering the way I’ve settled in, the love that I have felt, especially from the fans but everyone in Rome, it will be an interesting decision to make.
“Some of the other players said if you really hit the ground running, the love that you can have in this city is unbelievable. That’s really what I’ve felt and so have my family. Long may it continue.”
As per his current contract, Smalling is tied down to Manchester United until 2022 and his loan deal at Roma expires at the end of the season.
Speaking about a return to Old Trafford at the end of the season and his dialogue with his parent club, Smalling said: “Even when I spoke to them, it was a case of ‘let’s have a good season, hopefully, it all goes to plan, the team is successful and I am successful’ and at the end of the season we’ll sit down.
“That was the plan at the start of the season and obviously we’re not finished yet so come the end of the season we’ll see what the plan is.”
While speaking about his earlier exchanges with United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Smalling said: “I spoke to [Ole Gunnar Solskjaer]… Over the previous years, I had been used to playing in nearly every game when fit.
“So to cut that in half, when you look around at other opportunities, there was nothing better than [Roma] that could have come up.
“We spoke openly and we made it happen.” he added.
Roma currently sit 5th in the Serie A table and are in the race for Champions League qualification and Smalling has been ever-present for the club, while it’s still uncertain whether the defender will return to Manchester United at the end of the season.