Rojo can prove Moscow doubters wrong- Van gaal

FOOTBALL NEWS

ROJO CAN PROVE MOSCOW DOUBTERS WRONG

Louis van Gaal and Wayne Rooney have launched a stern defence of Marcos Rojo and his quality in the face of criticism for his performances with former club Spartak Moscow.

Rojo joined the Russian club in December 2010 but only made 19 first-team appearances before completing a transfer to Sporting Lisbon in July 2012. He excelled in Portugal and later shone at the 2014 World Cup with Argentina, which led to his switch to Manchester United later that summer.

But during Tuesday night’s pre-match press conference for United’s Champions League tie with CSKA Moscow, one Russian journalist questioned Rojo’s performances with Spartak and even asked van Gaal why he signed the defender. As you might expect, the boss provided an impassioned response.

“I didn’t know that he played for Spartak Moscow, but I have seen him in the World Cup in Brazil when he played for Argentina,” the manager explained at Arena Kimkhi. “He did it very well and he also played for Sporting Lisbon. There I analysed him. What I like is that he is physically a very strong guy, he has a good header of the ball and his pass is very fast.

“That is what we always need, we need a high speed in our positional game. When he improves and he can reach a very high level because he is not fully developed yet. I think there is great potential in him to become a very good player for Manchester United.”

Rooney was also asked what it’s like to train against Rojo – with the journalist being as bold to say it “was easy to get around him with Spartak” – and the captain gave his honest assessment.

“For me as Marcos’s team-mate, I can say that he is a fantastic player and a fantastic person,” Wayne explained. “He is a player who is very tough to get around, as the manager says. 

"For him to be from Argentina and to come and play in the Premier League is not easy but he has done a great job and he will be a very important player for us for the rest of the season.”

At this point in the press conference, van Gaal decided to ask the journalist who had started the line of questioning about Rojo for his age. When the reporter replied "26", the manager continued to explain why his criticism of his player was unfair and premature.

“When you are 26, you can still develop yourself and Marcos Rojo has developed himself,” the Dutchman said. “Marcos Rojo is also 25 years old so he is still developing.”