London: Manchester United defender Chris Smalling is among the “top three centre-halves in the world”, according to club captain Wayne Rooney.
Smalling, who has risen from a bit-part player to a first team regular under manager Louis van Gaal over the past 18 months, is enjoying his finest ever run of form for his club and has featured in all of United’s games this season.
“He has been incredible and for me he is right up there in world football in terms of centre-halves,” Rooney told the club’s website (www.manutd.com).
“He is in the top three centre-halves in the world — I think he is that good.
“He is a great player and he is developing to become more of a leader of the back four. It is great to see for both United and England and, hopefully, that can continue for him and he can help us to be successful.”
The England captain’s praise of Smalling comes in the wake of Van Gaal saying the defender could one day be captain of United, and the 25-year-old has said the manager’s influence has been key to his improved performances.
“When you hear such good praise, especially from Wazza [Rooney] and the manager, you just want to show them that it’s not just words that are meaningless,” Smalling said, quoted by the Telegraph.
“I think he [Van Gaal] is a very experienced manager. He says a lot of things that I try to take on board and I think he wants you to express yourself.
“When he shows that trust, I just want to repay it and do as well as I can. But yes, he has given me massive credit,” he added.
Meanwhile, the club have announced that they will hold a testimonial for Rooney to mark his 12 years at Old Trafford and the striker has pledged to donate all the proceeds from the game to charity.
The 30-year-old has vowed to donate all the profits from the match to the NSPCC, Alder Hey Childrens’ Hospital, Claire House Hospice, and the Manchester United Foundation through the newly formed Wayne Rooney foundation.
Rooney’s representatives said United awarded the England captain a testimonial following a meeting between “like-minded individuals and Manchester United fans” who wrote to executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward asking that a testimonial be awarded following the player’s 11-year spell at the club.
“I would like to thank everyone involved in making this testimonial become a reality,” Rooney said.
“Most of all I want to thank the fans for all their incredible support for me and the team since I joined the club.
“The match night will obviously be special for me and my family but I hope it will be a night of celebration for all involved and that we can also deliver one or two surprises.
“Most of all I hope the fans will come out in force and help raise as much money as possible for these amazing charities, all of which are very close to my heart for different reasons.”
Since joining United from Everton in 2004, Rooney has won the Premier League five times, the Champions League once and the League Cup twice.
Rooney has also gained a host of individual accolades and is now just 13 goals short of Bobby Charlton’s all-time United scoring record, having already broken his record England goal tally this season
“I am delighted that United fans will be able to celebrate Wayne’s amazing years at the club in this way,” Woodward said.
“From his sensational debut hat-trick to the latest of his 236 goals, he has been a central figure in what has been one of the most successful periods in the club’s history.”
