Manchester United loanee Chris Smalling has revealed that he always had the desire to test himself outside England, following his move to Roma on a season-long loan deal.
Roma have paid a loan fee of €2.5m to secure the services of the Manchester United defender for the rest of the campaign.
Smalling arrived in the Italian capital on Friday and completed the formalities of the move before signing a one-year loan contract with the Serie A giants.
The England defender admits that playing in the Premier League was always his primary goal when he was a young and upcoming footballer.
However, Smalling admits that he always had the desire to move outside England and test himself in a different country and league.
The centre-back also insisted that he was only going to leave Manchester United if a club of Roma’s stature and ambition showed an interest in signing him this summer.
Smalling told the club’s official site: “Growing up, obviously I wanted to play in the Premier League but deep down, I also had the aspiration to play abroad.
“Watching Serie A over the years, being one of the top leagues alongside the Premier League and now being able to come and experience that – and at such a big club as well – it was the perfect opportunity for me.
“If think if I was going to leave Manchester United I had to go to a club that was big, have big aspirations and big targets and this club have all that.
“It has the history and has big targets that I want to be part of and help to come true.”
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has conceded that he could not promise regular football to Smalling at Manchester United this season.
