Smalling in Roma action

By Chris O'Brien
May 6 2022

Former Manchester United defender Chris Smalling is set to play in the Europa Conference League final, after helping his Roma charges knock Leicester City out of the competition.

Smalling's performance has been praised as he helped Roma shut out the Foxes with a 1-0 win in Rome on Thursday (May 5), securing a 2-1 aggregate triumph.

The result means Jose Mourinho's Roma will face Feyenoord in the first ever Conference League final, after the Dutch side beat Marseille.

Roma's victory was sealed thanks to a Tammy Abraham header; securing the Serie A club is one win away from winning the new competition.

The formation of the Conference League was maligned by many - but the continent's third competition has provided plenty of entertainment this season. While the tournament was earmarked as one which prioritisied the participation of lower-ranked UEFA member association, Roma's clash with Feyenoord will see two giant of European football face off for silverware.

Smalling, 32, left Old Trafford of 2020 - in a £13.6million switch to Rome; and is set to have the distinguished boast of being a player to have been named in match-day squads for all three major European finals - having sat on the bench for United in the Champions League final in 2011, and appearing in the Europa League 2017 success.

The centre-half made 323 appearances for the Red Devils over ten years, before the permanent switch to Italy - following a successful loan sell with the San Siro club.

The former Fulham man has now become a mainstay of Roma's defensive set-up, notching up 35 appearances this season - including nine Conference League games - scoring four goals.

United, and their new manager Erik ten Hag, could still feature in the Conference League next season; if the Red Devils finish seventh in the Premier League table. However, qualification for the Europa League group stage - the continent's second competition - seems most likely at the moment.