Manchester United's Chris Smalling developing under Louis van Gaal
Manchester United defender Chris Smalling knows better than anyone how his bread is buttered, as the versatile centre-back has credited manager Louis van Gaal for his consistent performance this season.
Amid a summer of transformation and an influx of transfers, Smalling has been one of the consistent pieces in the United side, having started all six of their Premier League matches.
Smalling, who joined United in 2010 from Fulham, has made over 100 appearances for the club, progressing from a fringe fill-in to one of the first names on the team sheet.
The 25-year-old wisely understands that his place in the squad hinges on two things: form and his standing with the gaffer in his second season at Old Trafford.
"I think he (Van Gaal) has (improved me), all the coaches I've worked with, especially Louis van Gaal, have helped me," Smalling told Sky Sports.
"We work hard and tirelessly on the training ground with our tactics, we do 11 versus 11s a lot so we know our positions and our roles down to a tee. The repetition has really improved my game and a lot of the other players as well."
Cliche or not, the adage "practice makes perfect" certainly applies to Van Gaal's training methods.
"The repetition has really improved my game and a lot of the other players as well.
"The manager said at the start of the season that once you've been with him for six months and got used to the repetition of drills, the tactics and you know your role that we will get better."
With a crowd of new faces around the Carrington training ground like Memphis Depay, Matteo Darmian, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Sergio Romero, Anthony Martial, and Morgan Schneiderlin, Smalling understands that continuity will be necessary to challenge for the Premier League title.
"There has obviously been a lot of ins and outs and, as a group, we've stayed very close-knit.
"It's very clear to us as players what we need to be done come matchday. We started this season a lot better than we did last season and we can see an improvement."
While Smalling can credit his own ambition and drive with his improvement as a defender, the England international is quick to give Van Gaal praise, especially for having faith in the London-born player despite an injury-riddled 2014-15 campaign.
"It's nice to know the manager has got that trust in me and I hope to deliver," Smalling said. "I've really enjoyed it. Considering how last season started, when I was stop-start and didn't pick up until November where I got a consistent run of games.
"So to be able to start with a clean bill of health and to have the manager's faith has given me the confidence to kick on and make sure I have a full season and justify my place."