Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Confirms Return Of 'Valuable' Defender To Manchester United

Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has confirmed the return of on-loan player Chris Smalling, saying that the center-back is "valuable" to the Red Devils.

The 30-year-old is now heading back to Old Trafford following an impressive loan season with Serie A club Roma. In a press conference ahead of Wednesday's Europa League second leg with LASK, Solskjaer confirmed that Smalling has returned to United after proving his worth during his stint in Italy, ESPN reported.

“I think Chris has shown over his career at Man United how valuable he is for Man United. And this season was about him being a regular, going to Roma, showing and proving how good a center-back he is,” Solskjaer said.

The United boss also admitted that the management had decided it was best for Smalling to continue developing his game with Roma. As it turned out, they made the right decision and are now working on bringing him back to the team.

“We found out that was the best for him to go to Roma, play for a year. Now he’s coming back and Chris has shown this season that he’ll be valuable. I’ve been speaking to Chris throughout and I’ve been delighted with his season,” he continued.

This comes amid reports suggesting that United may have been thinking about pulling out of the race for Lille star Gabriel Magalhaes following Smalling's return from Roma.

Magalhaes was a target of several clubs across Europe’s top five leagues this summer, including Everton and Napoli, French outlet L’Equipe reported. However, due to the progressing transfer of Borussia Dortmund star Jadon Sancho, who is likely to come with a huge price tag, United may need to spend the remainder of their funds wisely. Given the scenario, Solskjaer made the clever decision of welcoming on-loan player Smalling back into the squad.

The move means that the Red Devils can now save a significant amount of money by fully withdrawing from pursuing Magalhaes, whom the club has valued at around £27 million ($34 million).

Meanwhile, Leicester City star Kasper Schmeichel is another notable defender currently being linked to United.

His former Manchester City teammate, Mikkel Bischoff, recently revealed that the 33-year-old has always dreamed of joining the Red Devils and that Schmeichel would “do anything” just to get a chance to play for United.