Chris Smalling has hailed the signing of Robin van Persie, claiming that he had an impact on his team mates from the first training session.

“It’s his overall approach and the way he goes about things,” Smalling told the official site. “You can just tell he’s top class. I remember when he first joined in training and everyone got a lift from that. He gets on really well with the lads which is really important because you have to all get on with the other players to make things work as a team. He’s settled in straight away and he’s shown how comfortable he is here by the way he is playing.”