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23rd October 2015
08:21am BST
His stature at Old Trafford seems to be growing and Van Gaal is already looking at him as a future skipper, a role that he has already filled on a few occasions.
The Man Utd boss said "Wayne Rooney is the captain, so you don’t have worry, and then Michael Carrick. But when they are gone then, Chris Smalling can do that. So I push him in that situation"
“Every player makes the steps by himself. I put him in the situation, I help him in the situation and I advise, and the player can take it on board or not. It’s his responsibility. He’s done it by himself. There’s a lot of advice and it’s about how we defend as a team.
The England international's communication skills and leadership qualities were also praised by his manager. “He’s a part of that and I wanted him to speak. He also has the talent to speak. That makes him easy to coach. Because of that, I have made him a leader of the team. He’s made steps, and also in a tactical way. When you give instructions in terms of organisation, you need someone to understand that. He’s a structured person and he accepted it more quicker.
“David De Gea has the best view [of the game] and then the central defenders, so I demand of my defenders that they speak".
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