Reports had been circulating that Manchester United’s Chris Smalling had been laid low by a jellyfish sting.
Tweets from sources in Indonesia had suggested the England international defender had been stung while learning to surf on the island of Bali, but United have moved to clarify the situation.
Pemain MU, Chris Smalling disengat Ubur-ubur di Bali saat belajar Selancar pic.twitter.com/egDgVHSCNs
— INDONESIAinLOVE (@INDONESIAinLOVE) July 4, 2016
Smalling is on holiday with Bali, having travelled to South-East Asia following England’s shock second-round elimination from Euro 2016 at the hands of Iceland.
But the jellyfish story seems wide of the mark, with the club issuing the following statement:
‘Manchester United can clarify Chris Smalling has had food poisoning during his holiday which resulted in him fainting on Sunday. Â
‘The 26-year-old defender was taken to the hospital and is now feeling fine.’
Smalling was an ever-present for England at the European Championships as his country beat Wales, drew with Russia and Slovakia, and lost to Iceland.
United have confirmed that the defender will report back for pre-season training this month.
Their pre-season friendlies begin in China on July 22, with International Champions Cup matches against Borussia Dortmund and Manchester City in Shanghai and Beijing respectively.
Jose Mourinho’s squad will return to England in time for the Community Shield against Leicester City on August 7.
