Argentine centre-half Marcos Rojo has extended his stay at the Old Trafford after penning a new deal with the Red Devils. The new contract keeps him tied to his current club until the 2021 season with an option to extend his stay for a further year.
The centre-back took some time to adapt to the English game but has done quite well under Jose Mourinho. But his good run of form was cut short due to a Cruciate Ligament injury back in April as a result of which his momentum faced an abrupt end.
Brought in by Van Gaal back in August of 2014, he will be looking to repay the faith shown by his manager and the United officials after their decision to extend his contract.
Let us take a look at the pros and cons of the deal.
Trust on Jose Mourinho’s part
It is not the easiest of tasks to please the Portuguese mastermind. Known to criticise many of his players publicly, it is important that Rojo’s manager has faith in him. Delighted by the new contract, Mourinho said:
“Marcos has gone from strength to strength over the past couple of seasons, and has always shown great professionalism. Although his injury has kept him sidelined over these past few weeks, Marcos is working hard to return to full fitness. He is always ready to put his body on the line for this club and I am delighted he has signed a new contract.”
This is definitely a huge boost for a player returning from injury and hoping to break into the first team.
Regular starter next season?
Having seen their neighbours spend a huge amount of money on defensive recruitments and taste success, Jose Mourinho is most likely to do the same. With that in mind, does it raise question marks regarding Marcos Rojo’s position in the team?
Breaking into such a team could prove to be a humongous task for the Argentine given that they have 4 established centre-backs in the form of Smalling, Lindelof. Bailly and Jones. But due to the versatility of Rojo, he could find an alternative route into the team at leftback if he wants to wear the famous red jersey on a consistent basis.
Depth in squad for United
Along with the above-mentioned defenders, he becomes the 5th player on that list of central defenders. If the Red Devils are to mount a serious title challenge on all 4 fronts next season, Jose might well need all his defenders fit, and playing at their highest level.
With a good pre-season, these defenders could be key once again in Mourinho’s plans for the next term.
