Manchester United transfer news: Chris Smalling joins AS Roma on loan

United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer told the defender that he could not guarantee him regular first-team football this season

Manchester United defender Chris Smalling has joined AS Roma on loan, the Italian club have announced.

The 29-year-old, who signed a new deal until 2022 in December, was told by United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer that he could not guarantee him regular first-team football this season.

Therefore, Smalling is set to spend the campaign at the Serie A club.

“This is the perfect opportunity for me,” he told Roma’s website. “The chance to experience a new league, with a big team that has got big aspirations is exactly what I needed.”

Smalling joins Alexis Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku in leaving Old Trafford for Serie A.

While Sanchez has moved to Inter Milan on loan, Lukaku has signed a permanent deal with the Italian side.