Manchester United 2018-19 Player Reviews: Marcos Rojo

If I was feeling slightly lazier — perhaps if this was being written at four o’clock on a Friday, for example — I’d be tempted to copy and paste Matteo Darmian’s season review and swap around the names. No one would probably notice. But as it’s a Thursday, I’ll do both Marcos Rojo and you, our dear readers, the courtesy of trying to come up with something marginally more original.

In short, Rojo isn’t a particularly bad player, but he has had a particularly bad season. Much like Darmian, he’s been competent when called upon, but has scarcely been called upon at all. Plagued by injuries, the Argentine defender made only five Premier League appearances, further racking up only a solitary half of football in the Champions League. He’s made more starts for his national side than his domestic one. In truth, he’s probably not much worse than any of United’s other defenders, but having had the trust of neither José Mourinho or Ole Gunnar Solskjær, his playing time has been extremely limited.

Rojo will probably leave the club in the summer, having been flirting with his former club Estudiantes in the press. No one will be particularly sad to see him depart, though neither should he be bornea any ill will. He’s always shown spirit when playing for United, if not always discipline, and in the days of such palpable indifference among the Reds’ playing staff, that’s got to be worth something. JS

Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images

During the last several years, Manchester United have managed to amass an impressive collection of players who have absolutely no business at the club. To make things worse, United also have the nasty habit of awarding these players lucrative contracts, making them almost impossible to move on. Case in point: Marcos Rojo. Rojo is fun; his physical style and penchant for the unexpected (Rabona clearance? Why not!) make him a joy on the pitch. Neither of those things necessarily make him a good defender, however.

Rojo has looked competent at center back on occasions during his time at United, but never quite as comfortable at left-back as he does for his national team. This past season, he didn’t look much of anything at all, because he barely saw the pitch. Here at TBB, it was weeks into the season before any of us realized that he had switched squad numbers last summer. Reports link the Argentine with a move away during the current transfer window, but we’ve heard that before. Remember that time he ate a banana on the pitch? Good times. BM