Smalling fires back at Mourinho in pointed Ins post - 48 hours on from sacking

Chris Smalling has hit back at at Jose Mourinho after he was slammed by the former Roma manager during his spell in charge of the Italian club.

Mourinho had launched a scathing attack on the defender in November last year, criticising his ability to deal with injuries. Smalling has been out of action for nearly five months with a knee issue.

The now-sacked Roma boss had said Smalling, 34, 'isn't capable of playing through pain', 'holds something back' and that there are people 'who aren't high-performance athletes who have a greater pain threshold' amid the former England defender's latest issue.

He went onto suggest that Smalling 'maybe struggle(s) to sleep with toothache', leading to large section of the Roma fanbase, who backed Mourinho until his dismissal earlier this week, turning on the centre back, and widespread criticism from the Italian media.

Smalling has now fired back at his two-time boss, taking to Instagram to defend himself and his commitment to his playing career.

'Since signing for AS Roma in 2019, my commitment and loyalty to the club has never wavered, Smalling began in a post shared in both English and Italian.

'The minute I stepped foot in Roma, I instantly felt at home. Roma is my home, and the relationship I have built with AS Roma fans is something I cherish dearly.

'For that reason I wanted to jump on here to address some of the rumours that I have seen circulating over recent months. Let me start by clarifying that I have never asked to, nor even contemplated, leaving this great club.

'Speaking openly, the last few months have proved to be some of the most frustrating of my career. There are things in this game and in life that we can control, and others we simply can't. This injury has been one