Former Manchester United star Chris Smalling’s disastrous debut in Saudi Pro League

Chris Smalling had a debut to hide for Saudi Pro League broadside Al Fayha, scoring an ain extremity and being sent-off successful a 5-0 defeat.

The 34-year-old was astatine Roma for 5 seasons but near Serie A for Saudi Arabia earlier this month, joining the squad managed by Christos Kontis.

Al Fayha are not 1 of the powerhouses of the Saudi Pro League and Smalling’s debut saw them suffer their 3rd consecutive crippled astatine the commencement of the season, leaving them bottommost of the table.

The 5-0 nonaccomplishment to Al Raed saw Smalling instrumentality the shot successful his ain nett aft conscionable six minutes and the distant squad people doubly much earlier half-time.

The Englishman was past shown a consecutive reddish paper connected 55 minutes, with Al Raed scoring doubly much aft his departure.

The England planetary volition beryllium hoping that the lone mode is up from that commencement to beingness successful Saudi Arabia.

On leaving Roma, the centre-back posted an affectional connection thanking the fans successful the Italian superior for their enactment passim his enactment there.

‘When we arrived successful Rome successful 2019, my household and I were greeted with kindness and warmth. You instantly made maine consciousness astatine location successful Rome. With the commencement of my son, the metropolis volition everlastingly person a peculiar spot successful my heart,’ Smalling wrote connected Instagram.

‘But each the bully stories are bound to extremity and it’s clip for maine to fto go. My emotion and admiration for AS Roma volition stay forever.

‘To the shot players I’ve shared the locker country and the tract with, to the coaches I’ve played with, to each the unit who enactment down the scenes whose enactment often goes unnoticed, and to you the fans, THANK YOU SO MUCH: it has been an implicit honor. Good luck for the remainder of the season.’

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