Smalling aiming to make most of Red Devils US tour

He may just have finished his international duties with the England squad, but Manchester United defender Chris Smalling is thinking about building momentum on his club’s pre-season tour of America.

Jose Mourinho’s men return for pre-season on July 8, before playing a series of games in the States that begin with tests against MLS sides LA Galaxy and Real Salt Lake.

They then make history with the first ever Manchester derby to take place outside of the United Kingdom, before playing Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona.

And for 27-year-old Smalling, with Champions League football returning to Old Trafford in the coming season, these friendly matches provide perfect preparations for challenges further down the road.

“They’re the kind of teams that we should be testing ourselves against in pre-season,” he said.

“Getting up to speed with that calibre of opposition can only bode well for when the season actually starts.

Photo by John Peters/Man Utd via Getty Images

“It doesn’t matter if it’s a friendly or a big Champions League game, you always want to win.

“Everyone’s mentality is always the same in those games and in every game we play.

“I remember being amazed by my first pre-season tour in 2010. You see how much goes into the whole set-up when you’re on tour, I’d never experienced anything like that before.”