Chris Smalling is continuing to cause concern at Roma as his struggles with tendon inflammation persist, likely keeping him sidelined until after Christmas.
The 33-year-old English centre back has not appeared for the Giallorossi since their 2-1 loss to Milan on September 1. Since then, he’s been sidelined with tendonitis, forcing him to miss the club’s last 13 matches across Serie A and the Europa League.
Jose Mourinho has grown increasingly worried about the situation and now expects Roma to pick up a new defender in the coming January transfer window, believing Smalling may not be up to the task in the capital anymore.
As reported by Corriere dello Sport via TMW, Smalling still hasn’t returned to squad training with Roma yet and now isn’t expected to return to action until after the Christmas break, frustrating Mourinho.
The Giallorossi cannot count on Marash Kumbulla until January, whilst Evan N’Dicka will leave for the Africa Cup of Nations in the new year.