Smalling has been reborn in Rome as he is out-performing Utd's £80m man Maguire

As Chris Smalling stole the show with a goal and two assists at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday to pile further misery on rock bottom Brescia, 1,200 miles away in Yorkshire his parent club fell to pieces.

Phil Jones, a regular room-mate of Smalling's when they were both at United, was being made to look amateurish by Sheffield United. Lys Mousset was making a mockery of a back three costing in the region of £130million in Jones, Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof.

And so United fans would be forgiven if they have had even one eye on events in Rome, for promoting the idea of Smalling's return.

His move to Italy represented something of a gamble for a player out of favour for club and country. But few can argue with the renaissance he is enjoying in the Eternal City.

The move was arguably overlooked initially as being not largely significant, not one that would make a telling impact long-term. Gianluca Mancini, a talented 23-year-old, was recruited and Roma were linked all summer long with moves for Dejan Lovren and Toby Alderweireld.  Even Juventus defender Daniele Rugani was on the radar.

In the end Smalling arrived for a loan fee of £2.5m. There are now plenty on the boisterous Curva Sud still baffled at their good fortune in landing him for a pittance.

After all, his goal to open the scoring against Brescia, a smart header from an outswinging corner by Lorenzo Pellegrini, saw him make history.

His second of the campaign makes him the first Englishman since David Beckham in 2008-09 to score two goals in the same Serie A season.

Only Inter Milan can match the 11 goals from set-pieces scored by Roma so far this season. With an aerial threat like Smalling in their ranks, the club's No 1 ranking comes as no surprise.

Dubbed 'Il Migliore' (The Best) in Monday's Gazzetto della Sport after his goal and two assists earned a 7.5 rating, Smalling is winning plaudits for his defending again. When did that last happen in England?

He's smiling again, happy with his development and back in front of a fan-base desperate not to see him leave.

Smalling, much like compatriot Kieran Trippier, took a gamble in swapping the comforts of home in England for a new challenge abroad. The 30-year-old chose Italy while Trippier chose Spain, both with the intention of improving their defending and proving they are still worthy of places in the England national team.

It has been two years since England boss Gareth Southgate looked to have extinguished Smalling's career with the Three Lions. The former Fulham and United defender last got a call-up for the World Cup qualifiers against Lithuania and Slovenia in October 2017.

A subtle dig at his inability to build chances from the back, the way John Stones and Maguire are credited as being able to, was what sparked his initial omission. He has never returned to the set-up since.

But few in Europe are defending as well as Smalling is right now.

There was a moment in a recent 2-1 win over Napoli where Smalling's intervention ended any debate over whether he had adapted to life outside of England.

A free-kick from the left was floated to the back post and as Giovanni Di Lorenzo out-jumped Aleksandar Kolarov, the Napoli right back was ready to wheel away in celebration as his effort flew towards the bottom corner.

The goalkeeper was beaten but Smalling was unwilling to give up the chase and at full stretch, produced an acrobatic bicycle kick to hack the ball clear.

Anybody sleeping on the Manchester United loanee suddenly snapped out of their slumber. Smalling is a fine defender and is proving his doubters wrong in style.

He is said to be picking up the language on the field, with the help of English-speaking team-mates such as former Manchester City pair Kolarov and Edin Dzeko, in a bid to maximise his role as a leader in this side.

And under the guidance of boss Paulo Fonseca, a manager trusting in him to be the bedrock of the Giallorossi's rearguard, Smalling is being allowed to focus on the art of defending.

The slower pace of Serie A, not a slant on the division or of Smalling's achievements, is down largely to the greater emphasis placed on tactics.

It suits a player whose reading of the game is unquestionable. He is being tasked by Fonseca to dictate and be a leader alongside the much younger Mancini and the benefits are translating into tangible results.

Roma, who finished a disappointing sixth in 2018-19 are currently fourth, are ahead of Atalanta and Napoli now, both of whom qualified ahead of them in the Champions League spots last season.

And so the former Shakhtar Donetsk boss has brought progress, with Smalling as his on-field general at the back.

The often topsy-turvy transition football fans witness each week in the Premier League can leave defenders exposed.

Take Sheffield United's opener on Sunday when Mousset, hassling a back-tracking Jones one v one before the United man ended up on his backside, soon had a clear run at goal before pulling back for John Fleck to score.

This was a player Smalling used to partner at the back. Room with. Confide in.

When confidence dips, it can become nothing short of a nightmare. A fresh start was one of the best decisions Smalling has ever made, even if part of him misses Manchester.

'I do [miss Man United],' Smalling said in a recent talkSPORT interview, 'because I was there for so many years and I was used to be being part of the furniture there.

'But I am enjoying my new chapter, and hopefully I can keep affecting performances on the pitch and we can have a successful season. I'm really enjoying being in Italy.'

That's where United are now, shy of any belief they can go into a match and keep a clean sheet. Shy of any belief that the defenders will not make a costly mistake.

Take £80m summer signing Maguire, the arrival which paved the way for Smalling to depart for Rome.

Per 90 minutes this season, Smalling has made more headed clearances, won more tackles, more aerial duels, earned more clean sheets and produced more interceptions than the most expensive defender in world football.

Maguire has created more chances per game, adding weight to Southgate's sentiments about shortcomings in Smalling's creation - a criticism he continues to argue to the contrary.

His path to winning a Euro 2020 spot appears to be blocked, no matter how well he performs but the Italian job Smalling took on is likely to earn him a promotion, in or out of Manchester.

Those who thought he was finished when he walked out of the door at Old Trafford this summer could not be more wrong.