Chris Smalling has revealed how Sir Alex Ferguson persuaded him that Manchester United Football Club was the right move for him at this stage of his career.

The Reds beat Arsenal for the signature of the young defender in the winter, although the player will only head to Old Trafford at the end of the season.

Smalling has revealed how he was won over by the fact that Ferguson made the trip south to talk to him in January, even though United were facing Manchester City in the Carling Cup the next day.

“For him to come down the day before a big game was a huge compliment," he told The Guardian. "That made it feel incredible. I went up the next day and got to meet some of the players.

"I went to see the training ground, did the medical, and everyone was very welcoming. When Sir Alex came and met me and I went to go up and visit, I had the gut feeling this was the place for me.”

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