Fellow Three Lions Wayne Rooney and new signing Luke Shaw will be reunited with Smalling in the States next Friday after a short break following England’s World Cup elimination – and it will be their first encounter with new boss Louis van Gaal.
Smalling, who played in England’s 0-0 draw with Costa Rica in Brazil, believes that the tour will provide an ideal chance for the incoming manager to not only gain an idea of the strength at his disposal, but he will be able to put his own methods into practice as he takes charge of the Reds for the first time.
Shaw and Smalling in action against each other last season
"Pre-season is always massively important,” Smalling told ManUtd.com. “The tour gives the manager an opportunity to get all the players together and drill home his ideas that will last for the rest of the season. It's a crucial period."
Smalling, aged 24, added that it will be a great chance for Shaw to bond with his new colleagues. "That's important too, especially for the new lads who come in as it's two or three weeks where we are all together."
United face LA Galaxy, AS Roma, Inter Milan and Real Madrid whilst in the US, and Smalling admits he is looking forward to what promises to be a great experience.
"I've already done one tour in the States and we really enjoyed it out there as there are so many places to visit. Football's getting bigger over there so it'll be good to go back."
He added: "We've played the MLS All-Stars before so it'll be nice to play another team from the US league in their own backyard. I'm sure it'll be a great atmosphere."
