Manchester United defender Chris Smalling says his loan move to Roma has already exceeded expectations.

The 29-year-old defender swapped England for Italy in this summer's transfer window, signing a loan deal with the Italian giants.

"Yeah, everything and more I think," he told the club's official website when asked if his season-long loan had met expectations.

"Obviously I missed the first couple of games, but being able to stay fit now and hopefully – touch wood – for the rest of the season means I've been able to have an influence on the pitch, and that definitely helps the transition, in terms of getting to know my teammates and how we want to work, and just getting friendly with them as well.

"Now my family is out here and we are moving into a house as well, so it's nice to have all that sorted too. All the pieces off the pitch are coming together too, so fingers crossed it just keeps getting better and better."