Ahead of tonight’s game against his former club, Chris Smalling has talked of the desperation the players feels to win the league this season.

“We’re both Manchester clubs. That’s bragging rights for a whole year. We can’t let that happen!” he said. “They are not used to playing for just one trophy at United. The Champions League is gone. We are all disappointed about that. But we have to make sure we get that Premier League trophy in the bag. It was great to win it last year, in my first season with the club. It would be even better to win two in a row, especially when you see people like Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes have won it 10 or 15 times. It’s not that they brag about it or anything, but it makes you think. We have to make sure we are on our toes all the time.”

Smalling is available to play tonight after featuring for the Reserves this week without using any head protection.