The player endured a particularly testing season in the last campaign, questioned for repeated defensive mishaps and poor decisions.

Despite the anticipation that he would be shipped out this summer, Smalling joined the squad for pre-season in the United States.

However, any hopes that he would prove naysayers wrong went out of the window in the 2-0 win against Manchester City on Friday morning.

A long ball over the top from Man City appeared comfortable for Smalling who was running back towards his goal but with Sergio Aguero chasing him down a little nonchalantly, the defender contrived to miss his header, resulting in a comical fall on the edge of the box.

With Aguero sensing an opportunity to run onto the mistake, it took a cool-headed, David De Gea to get the ball clear and save Smalling’s blushes.

It was all a bit too much for Citi Sports editor Nathan Quao, who took to Twitter to espouse his views about the defender.

I see that Chris Smalling was up to his old tricks again.

— Nathan Quao (@nathan_quao) July 21, 2017

His tweet was picked up by the Daily Mail after it sparked a discussion about whether Smalling deserved to be at the club.

It wasn’t all bad for Smalling as he made a decent double block to help maintain United’s clean sheet.

However, his propensity for errors in games could be a worry for Man United fans who expect their side to provide a stronger title challenge next season.

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By: Edwin Kwakofi/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @EdKwakofi

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