Chris Smalling wants Manchester United to get better defensively

England international Chris Smalling believes Manchester United must improve on their defensive record, if they are to stand any chance of competing for the Premier League crown this term.

The Red Devils picked up their first clean sheet of the campaign during the 2-0 triumph over Burnley on Sunday but prior to that, they had leaked seven goals from just three league games.

As such, Smalling feels the team need to show an improvement at the back in order to jump further up the table following the international break, he told MUTV:

"Last season we picked up a lot of clean sheets and this year we've conceded early goals. We need to get back what we've done in the last few seasons when we've conceded very few goals, like on Sunday."

The Red Devils suffered back-to-back defeats in the Premier League last month but they have since recovered to register a victory over Burnley which has witnessed them propel into the top half of the standings.