The 36-year-old spent a decade at Manchester United after joining from Fulham in 2010, winning two Premier League titles between 2010 and 2013 and earning 31 England caps. He moved to Roma initially on loan in 2019 before making the switch permanent in 2020, and left Italy for Al-Fayha in 2024, where he made 64 appearances and scored twice before his release this summer.
Speaking to BBC Sport, Smalling put his longevity at the top level down to lessons learned from his early years under Sir Alex Ferguson, when a young Ryan Giggs was among the first to embrace practices such as yoga to extend his career.
He explained that his focus on recovery and nutrition now starts long before he steps onto the training pitch, saying he understands his body better now than he did at 26, which he credited for the level he is still able to play at.
He has also gone beyond standard pre-season blood testing to have genetic testing carried out, which he said led to changes in his supplement regime.
Smalling is continuing to build education projects away from the game but insists retirement is not yet on his mind, citing his enjoyment of playing and his current physical condition as reasons to keep going. He said those off-field ventures would take up more of his time only once his playing career eventually comes to an end.
His return to England comes after his stint in Saudi Arabia yielded 64 appearances and two goals for Al-Fayha, whom he joined on a free transfer after his release from Roma, where he had made more than 150 appearances across five years in the Italian capital.
Smalling has not played in England since leaving United, and any move back to English football would represent a full-circle moment for a defender who was part of two Premier League-winning squads under Ferguson before embarking on his career abroad.