Manchester United didn’t sign anybody in the January transfer window, but they did jettison quite a bit of their deadwood, including defender Marcos Rojo.
The club issued a statement today claiming they have received “an undisclosed fee” from Boca Juniors in exchange for the 30-year-old Argentine international. However, Boca maintain that United hadc terminated Rojo’s contact prior to striking a deal with them.
? We'd like to thank Marcos Rojo for his time at United and wish him the best of luck for the future! ??#MUFC
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) February 2, 2021
A club statement from United reads:
“Rojo had spent the second half of last season on loan with his first club, Estudiantes, before returning to United, although he played his final game for the Reds in November 2019.”
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Rojo, who did not feature in any competition this season, was set to see his United contract expire in the summer, with the club declining their one year option on him. Given those circumstances, his market value was not high, so whether or not United did recieve any money for him isn’t a big deal, as the fee would have almost certainly been rather small.
Marcos Rojo moved for £16.5 million from Sporting Club in 2014, when Louis van Gaal was still in charge. He was a first team regular during Jose Mourinho’s first season at Old Trafford.
? Entrá al vestuario con Marcos Rojo y acompañalo al campo de juego en su primer día como jugador de #Boca… ??? pic.twitter.com/bp8VEFLNoS
— Boca Juniors (@BocaJrsOficial) February 2, 2021
During his 61 appearances with the club he played under three different managers (Van Gaal, Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer), but he simply hasn’t been the same player since he suffered a knee injury in 2017. Rojo has also found himself in trouble off the pitch, as he repeatedly violated coronavirus lockdown protocols.
These violations were captured on social media, and quickly went viral, resulting in a PR nightmare for United. It was pretty clear, from that point on, he would never suit up for the club again.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and SB Nation. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.