In response to being benched in favor of Harry Maguire at Old Trafford under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, former Manchester United defender Marcos Rojo has expressed his resentment.
The Argentine stated that the manager of the England international maintained playing the newcomer despite his "huge mistakes" and the sum paid for him. In 2019, Maguire moved to United from Leicester in an £80 million transfer.
That still stands as the highest amount ever spent on a defender. The club captain has lost the favor of many United supporters after slipping down Erik ten Hag's priority list.
This season, Maguire has made just seven Premier League starts, trailing just Victor Lindelof, Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane, and Luke Shaw in the lineup. He started every league game in his rookie campaign, frequently playing alongside Lindelof.
As a result, Rojo had a limited number of game appearances in the first half of the 2019–20 season before moving to Boca Juniors on loan. The defender has already expressed his rage about being benched by Solskjaer while Harry Maguire is "making huge mistakes every week."
The 33-year-old, who won a treble with Boca Juniors last season, discussed how he handed his manager an ultimatum over his future and expressed his happiness that Martinez is now playing ahead of him at United.
He told TyC Sports: "In 2019 I was playing in the Europa League, but I was really angry with the Manchester coach [Solskjaer] because he was putting Maguire [in the team] instead of me. Thank god finally they took him out from the starting line-up for Licha [Lisandro] Martinez."
"One day I went to Solskjaer’s office to tell him to let me leave for the other club or put [me] in the starting line-up, but he told me that Maguire had to play because of the money they paid for him."
"He [Maguire] was making huge mistakes already and I told Solskjaer: 'Son of a b***h let me play because this guy is making huge mistakes every week'."
Manager Erik ten Hag discussed his starting lineup for the road game against Tottenham.
Despite having a 2-0 lead at halftime against Spurs, the Red Devils played to a 2-2 draw.
Harry Maguire, the club captain, was not listed in United's starting lineup when it was revealed before kick off.
“[It is a] training injury," Ten Hag told MUTV.
“It's a training injury. But we have proved we can sort it out. And I'm convinced we can do it today as well."
“We have to manage his [Martial's] load," Ten Hag added on Anthony Martial only being on the bench."
“That's one thing. Another thing is Jadon [Sancho] is doing very well, Martial is also doing well, but we have to choose and can choose from a tactical perspective."
“So for today, we make this choice, but Sunday we can do different – with the number of games we have to play and [games] we have in our legs already, we have to rotate a bit."
Meanwhile, Journalist Alex Crook claims that Newcastle United is interested in luring Manchester United defender Harry Maguire to St. James' Park this summer.
Newcastle United and West Ham United are rumored to be among the early frontrunners for the signing of Harry Maguire, according to TEAMtalk, who will be made available for transfer by Manchester United this summer.
The English international, according to 90min, is garnering interest from a number of prestigious Serie A teams, with Inter Milan, Juventus, and AC Milan eager to provide loan deals with an option to buy.
The Old Trafford giants are rumored to have a number of first-team players they may release in the off-season, including the 30-year-old, but doing so would require the "right circumstances."
Although they might need to be "flexible" to guarantee they meet their Financial Fair Play responsibilities, Manchester United would like to collect a transfer fee for Maguire's services.
According to Transfermarkt, Maguire has played 28 times for the Red Devils across all competitions this season despite being in and out of Erik ten Hag's lineup.
Crook said: "Yeah, I think so. It's a question of what sort of money they're going to get for Maguire. He needs to go and play.
"I know there's some interest from Newcastle, West Ham as well.
I think, probably, they would be good moves for him. I think it's best for all concerned that he moves on."
The 30-year-old has also demonstrated a combative disposition to win possession back for his team with a tackle success rate of 71% in the English top flight this season.
However, after four years at Old Trafford, it might be time for the £190,000-per-week defender, who was signed from Leicester City for £80 million back in 2019, to look for a new challenge.
The England international may be a seasoned defensive mind to assist direct Newcastle United's backline in 2023/24, when the Magpies appear to be in a solid position to qualify for the Champions League.
Post a Comment