Manchester United defender Chris Smalling took a trip down memory lane as the 25-year-old went back to his old judo club . Photos of the visit , during which he presented some members with replica United jerseys , were posted on the International Judo Federation 's official Twitter account alongside a flashback picture of Smalling as a youngster . The England international , who only made the decision to join the social networking site on Friday , excelled at the martial art as a teen and was even named national champion for his age group , before football took precedence at 15 . The International Judo Federation shares pictures of Chris Smalling taking the time to visit his old club . Smalling was a gifted martial artist and was at one stage named national judo champion for his age group . The Manchester United defender presents some replica jerseys to some of the members of the club . Smalling began his footballing career with minnows Maidstone United in Kent , before a string of impressive performances saw him snapped up by then Premier League side Fulham in 2008 . After only a handful appearances for the Cottagers , his talent was clear and Smalling signed for Manchester United one year later . It has been a remarkable rise for the former Chatham Grammar School student , who if football had not worked out , was set to study Business Management at Loughborough University , having gained a decent set of A-Levels . Smalling will be hoping to make manager Louis van Gaal 's starting line up for the crunch clash with local rivals Manchester City this weekend , as United aim to finish the league campaign in the top-four . Smalling ( right ) trains with his United team-mates at the Aon training complex ahead of this weekend 's game . Smalling ( right ) heads the ball ahead of Manchester City striker Stefan Jovetic ( left ) earlier on this season .
Manchester United and England defender Chris Smalling has taken a trip to his old judo club . The former Arsenal midfielder was spotted at the gym in London on Monday by one of his fellow members of the British Judo Federation.