Villa’s big gain from Smalling brief lapse

ALEX FERGUSON is as shrewd a dealmaker as he is a manager, so he must have been happy as he checked out part of his investment portfolio in London on Saturday, before heading to the Emirates to take on Arsenal.

The Manchester United manager was at Craven Cottage to watch Chris Smalling, the young central defender for whom Fergie has agreed to pay £10m but allowed to stay at Fulham for the rest of the season.

Smalling is full of raw promise, having played only a handful of games for Fulham and before that just a dozen matches for non-league Maidstone Utd. So it was no surprise that he will make the odd mistake at the rarified level of the Premier League.