AS Roma head coach Paulo Fonseca has reiterated his desire to keep Manchester United defender Chris Smalling at the club beyond the end of his current loan stint.
After falling out of favour at Old Trafford under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the England centre-back moved to Serie A on a season-long basis in August 2019, with Roma paying €3million (£2.6m) for the deal.
That proved to be money well spent, with Smalling providing a commanding presence during his first 28 appearances in Italian football before the 2019-20 campaign was suspended as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Fonseca - who also wants Smalling's former United team-mate Henrikh Mkhitaryan to complete a permanent move from Arsenal after a similarly successful loan spell - has made little secret of his wish for Smalling to stay at the Stadio Olimpico for at least another season.
Speaking to ESPN on Friday, Fonseca lavished praise on Smalling for his personality, leadership and adaptation skills while confirming that the player himself also wants to stay at Roma rather than return to his parent club.
"I will do everything I can to keep him at Roma next year too," Fonseca said. "I know he wants to stay, let's see what happens.
"He's an amazing man, so humble, so professional. He is adored by the fans and established himself as one of the leaders in the dressing room.
"It's not easy for English central defenders to adapt so quickly to Italian football, the record there isn't good. But he has been amazing."
Smalling is under contract at United until 2022, but his current deal includes the option for a further 12-month extension.
Speaking in December, Solskjaer appeared to confirm that the 30-year-old would be returning to Old Trafford in the summer.
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