Chris Smalling played well for Roma last season and he became a key member of their team, so a permanent move to Italy appeared inevitable this summer.

Manchester United don’t have a need for him and his market value can’t be that high, but no agreement was forthcoming and he eventually ended up back at Old Trafford.

There was still no sign of him forcing his way back into United’s first team, so it’s good to see a report from Gianluca Di Marzio state that his return to Roma should be completed this week.

They claim that a deal has already been agreed between the two sides and he’s made it clear that he wants to go back to Rome, so it’s just a case of putting the finishing touches on the deal.