Smalling Having Trouble Shaking Nagging Thigh Problem

Chris Smalling has been out of action since mid-September, and a tricky injury might force him to sit out more matches. He has skipped seven already. He hasn’t been able to ramp up during the break, Corriere dello Sport informs.

The veteran defender will attempt to do that on Thursday and Friday. He’s nursing a tendon inflammation in his thigh. Multiple tests confirmed the diagnosis. The pain is mild and tolerable at times, stabbing at others.

Roma would like for Smalling to try playing through it. Their defensive phase is severely affected by his absence. However, there might be no alternative to resting and rehabbing for the problem to subside. He has been doing that for multiple weeks without much improvement.

Renato Sanches and Diego Llorente, who are recuperating from thigh lesions, stayed limited in practice on Wednesday. There’s optimism the center-back will be ready for the Monza game, softening their crisis.

Instead, the Portuguese midfielder and the former Manchester United star are targeting the Inter game in ten days for their returns, but it’s challenging to make firm predictions about the latter.

Our Take on Smalling

They surely need him back, but he wasn’t good when he gut it out before being shut down. They’ll have to weather the storm one way or the other till January. At least the injury isn’t severe enough to require surgery.