Roma defender Chris Smalling was interviewed by Sky Sport News and discussed his future.
The Englishman has thrived with Roma this season and the Giallorossi are keen on Smalling remaining beyond his loan spell, which expires in June.
“When I first came it was exciting but also daunting because you’re not sure what to expect. New country, new experience. But considering the way I’ve settled in, the love that I have felt, especially from the fans but everyone in Rome, it will be an interesting decision to make,” he said.
“Some of the other players said if you really hit the ground running, the love that you can have in this city is unbelievable. That’s really what I’ve felt and so have my family. Long may it continue.”
He continued, “Was it a shock there was no call back clause? Not really. Even when I spoke to them, it was a case of ‘Let’s have a good season, hopefully it all goes to plan, the team is successful and I am successful’ and at the end of the season we’ll sit down”.
“That was the plan at the start of the season and obviously we’re not finished yet so come the end of the season we’ll see what the plan is”.
“I spoke to Ole (before joining Roma). Over the previous years, I had been used to playing in nearly every game when fit. So to cut that in half, when you look around at other opportunities, there was nothing better than this [Roma] that could have come up”.
He concluded, “Fonseca said he wants me to remain? It’s great to hear. Having that belief and trust from the manager, from the coach, from the other players too – it’s helping me thrive on the pitch.”
