Football: Smalling to miss the season’s start

Manchester United defender Chris Smalling will miss the start of the new season after undergoing an operation on a metatarsal injury, according to Sky Sports. Smalling had been struggling for fitness after being forced out of England’s squad for Euro 2012 earlier in the summer due to a groin problem. He was also unavailable for selection for Great Britain’s Olympics team but manager Alex Ferguson was hoping the 22-year-old would be fit for the beginning of the campaign. “It’s difficult to say with a metatarsal but it could be 10 weeks,” said Ferguson. “He’s not carrying any luck but he’s young and we’ve done the right thing in getting it done immediately and getting him back on the road as quickly as we can.”

Published in The Express Tribune, July 22^nd, 2012.