Chris Smalling claims he is always ready to play with pain for club and country as he refutes Jose Mourinho criticism

Chris Smalling insists he is always ready to play through the pain barrier for club and country, despite Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho’s repeated claim from the season that a “cautious” attitude had led to players like the centre-half and Phil Jones sitting out more games than they might.

In a frustrating campaign that saw Smalling suffer two major injuries - a broken toe and a knee problem - Mourinho criticised him and other players on three separate occasions, at one point saying “Smalling doesn’t feel that he can play 100 per cent with his pain”, before adding “for the team, you have to do anything”.

That came when the 27-year-old missed November’s 3-1 win at Swansea City, just before it emerged that he had played in the October 4-0 defeat to Chelsea with a broken toe.

Smalling says that Mourinho did not know the full extent of the injury at the time, and states that he sees such interest from the manager as "a positive", insisting matches like that against Chelsea show he has ‘nothing to prove’.

Far from the Portuguese's original statement that Smalling complained he couldn’t play at 100 per cent with pain, the centre-half explained there are actually rarely occasions when he is at complete fitness.

“I think in the Chelsea game I proved that I can play with the injections,” the England international said. “To be honest, I don’t think any player is ever 100 per cent. There’s always something. Out of the whole squad, there is going to be some niggle.

“As players, it’s not always being 100 per cent. It’s about going on the pitch and doing a job. We’re always managing things - that’s why we have so many physios and getting your stretches and whatever - but yeah, nobody is ever 100 per cent.”

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Pressed on how Mourinho had specifically criticised him, Smalling was clearly unwilling to get into any kind of public disagreement with his club manager, and stated that merely showed how interested the Portuguese is.

“I think he mentioned at the time I had a couple of injections because you want to play that game. Soon after that it got worse and that was when I had to have the lay-off. You always want to push yourself because you don’t want to let the players or the fans down because you train with them everyday.

“I think obviously at the time I had done the injury and then I played on and there was obviously a break. Obviously he didn’t know the full extent at that time. You just keep playing until literally physically you can’t and that was the story with the break. But I don’t think he knew the full picture then and once it was cleared up it was all good.”

Smalling said Mourinho did not apologise, but that there was no need to.

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“No, it’s just professional. All of us professionals, we want to play and no player wants not to play - that was all just ‘professional’ get on with the rehab and then get out as quick as you can.

“If he wasn't interested, I think he would just leave you alone and he wouldn't say any of these things. So I take it as a positive, as a challenge to get back as quick as I can – which I would have done anyway regardless of whatever was said.

“I don't think I've got anything to prove as such. He knows my character, he knows what type of player I am and that's not changed.

“It’s just an unfortunate season with injuries. Now I am fit and ready to go.”