sport news Chris Smalling and Tammy Abraham have gone from outcasts to heroes in Italy trends now
Roma won their first major European trophy on Wednesday evening after beating Feyenoord in the Europa Conference League final in Tirana.
Their victory in Europe's third-tier club competition saw Jose Mourinho pick up his first trophy since Manchester United's Europa League triumph in 2017.
Chris Smalling was part of the United side that overcame Ajax in Stockholm five years ago and played a defining role in Roma's success on Wednesday night.
The 32-year-old defender produced a man-of-the-match performance to help the Serie A side keep a clean sheet and secure their first title since 2008.
Smalling made several crucial blocks in the early stages of the second half and kept the competition's leading goal scorer - Cyriel Dessers - incredibly quiet.
Roma won their first major European trophy on Wednesday evening after beating Feyenoord
Smalling (L) and Abraham (R) excelled for Roma during the Europa Conference League final
Meanwhile, at the other end of the pitch, Tammy Abraham helped Roma threaten Feyenoord's defence. His most memorable moment of the game came when he was through on goal before being taken down by Marcos Senesi.
It comes as no surprise that these two players have rediscovered their form in Italy after their disappointing spells in the Premier League.
Serie A has long been a home away from home for English footballers and this season is no different. Both Smalling and Abraham have flourished in the Italian top-flight this season.
Smalling has turned himself into a defensive fortress, while Abraham has become a goal scoring phenomenon in Rome.
Sportsmail have taken a look back at their careers in England and analysed how they have developed since moving to Italy.
Sportsmail looks at Smalling and Abraham's careers and how they developed in Italy
Chris Smalling joined Roma from Manchester United in an £18million deal in October 2020 after impressing on loan with the Serie A side.
Smalling decided signed for Roma on a temporary basis after former Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer failed to include him in his first-team plans.
The defender said he knew instantly after arriving at the Serie A side that he wanted to move to the club permanently.
Smalling joined Roma from Manchester United in an £18million deal in October 2020
Smalling rediscovered his form after joining the Italian outfit and has since cemented his place in the starting XI under Jose Mourinho.
The former Manchester United defender has featured 38 times this season for Roma and scored a total of four goals in all competitions.
The 32-year-old was even awarded the Man of the Match award for his performance during Roma's Europa Conference League final win.
Smalling was solid in the defence and helped Roma keep a clean sheet during their 1-0 win over Feyenoord in Tirana on Wednesday evening.
Fans were quick to take to social media to poke fun at Manchester United and praise Smalling for his performance.
The32-year-old defender was awarded the Man of the Match award for his performance during Roma's Europa Conference League final win
One fan Tweeted saying: 'Chris Smalling left Man United as a finished player and now he's won the MOTM in a Cup final.' Another added: 'Moral of the story: Leave Man United if you still want to be great.'
While one supporter wrote: 'Nah Smalling is literally 10 times the player Harry Maguire is'.
Smalling was delighted with the recognition he received. Speaking after the game, he told BT Sport: 'We knew how much it was going to mean to everybody in Rome, and you can see how together we are, everybody fought until the end.
'We had to do that on a few occasions this year (fighting hard), we dropped a bit deeper than we
