Centre Back: Chris Smalling
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Manchester United’s most improved player. After having been criticized by Van Gaal following his red card against City in November 2014, the former Fulham man was on the periphery of the first team and was slowly edging towards an exit. Chris Smalling ended last season with fewer Premier League starts than Ashley Young, Antonio Valencia and Phil Jones in a Manchester United defence whose record was bettered only by Chelsea, Southampton and Arsenal.
This season though is a completely different tale. His partnership with Blind(with support from De Gea behind) has provided the bedrock for United’s impressive defensive record. This season they lead the league in terms of clean sheets(17 clean sheets in 34). This campaign has also seen him become his country’s first-choice centre-half, starting five of their eight fixtures since September.
