Cause he hasn't seen him play?
16
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 26
- Clean sheets
- 8
- Goals
- 1
- Assists
- 0
- Yellow cards
- 6
Left mid? No he didn't.
I assume he doesn't know a single bit of English?
Fair enough. Those are all United related points and i´ll take your word for it. I wasn´t aware that the level of expectations from United fans was reaching those heights. I do agree that he will try to enter United´s defence in harder circunstancies than Vidic. Also agree that Vidic was more mature and offered more guarantees than him. Vidic was just one of a kind.
Ppl will moan either way. Imagine if the deal didn't happen because of issues between Sporting and Doyen. The same posters who are moaning about this signing would probably blame Woodward even if it hadn't been down to him.
I mean Rojo only had to say he is happy at Sporting in his recent interview on Sporting TV and we already had posters here blaming Woodward for failing to sign him
It's a lot of money yes (21 mil £ if you include Nani's wages), but if LvG wants a left footed CB then he was the best option available. I'd much rather have him than Vermaelen (who is never fit and would be on ridiculous wages). Hummels was never going to leave Dortmund, at least not this summer.
And if we do have the money I'd rather give some additional millions to a proper traditional club like Sporting (who we also have a great relationship with and who we bought Ronaldo from for a bargain as we know now), than keep it in Glazers' pockets.
And as we have seen in the past, buying or not buying a player for position x doesn't have anything to do in regards of buying a player for position y at United.
As past 5 seasons have shown, if we don't buy a midfielder it won't be because we spent a certain amount of money on Rojo, but because we somehow failed to identify and progress with enough alternatives/options for midfield again!
I mean Rojo only had to say he is happy at Sporting in his recent interview on Sporting TV and we already had posters here blaming Woodward for failing to sign him
It's a lot of money yes (21 mil £ if you include Nani's wages), but if LvG wants a left footed CB then he was the best option available. I'd much rather have him than Vermaelen (who is never fit and would be on ridiculous wages). Hummels was never going to leave Dortmund, at least not this summer.
And if we do have the money I'd rather give some additional millions to a proper traditional club like Sporting (who we also have a great relationship with and who we bought Ronaldo from for a bargain as we know now), than keep it in Glazers' pockets.
And as we have seen in the past, buying or not buying a player for position x doesn't have anything to do in regards of buying a player for position y at United.
As past 5 seasons have shown, if we don't buy a midfielder it won't be because we spent a certain amount of money on Rojo, but because we somehow failed to identify and progress with enough alternatives/options for midfield again!
I think you assume right. I don´t think he speaks a word of english. At least he hasn´t showed it yet. He always spoke in spanish. Even when we had foreign journalists covering Sporting affairs.
LB. Maybe you are thinking of Perez who played a few games at LM and did fairly well?
He does not look as commanding as a centerback, nor does he have the aerial proficiency to deal with set pieces or threats from that aspect of the games. As a fullback, he may be as good as Shaw at the moment, but from what I saw with Shaw at Southampton last season and Rojo in a fullback role, I do not believe Rojo has that burst of acceleration or pace that shaw has, which is an important factor for a maurading fullback. I believe his vision and technicality might be better than Shaw but for a fullback, I tend to believe crossing, pace and work ethic are the most important factor. Defensive nous is also part of the vital aspect. I can not say that Rojo is much better than Shaw with any of these aspect yet beside his technicality and vision.
The situation is as present (other United fans can contradict me if they disagree). We just lost 3 leaders (Rio, Vidic and Evra) and we currently got 5 natural defenders (Rafael, Smalling, Evans, Jones, Shaw) . To beefen up the defense we had promoted a couple of youngsters (Blackett, Reece James and Keane) and wingers are swiftly being converted in wingbacks (Young and Valencia). From that list, nearly all our first team defenders are injured (Shaw, Rafael, Valencia and Evans). It also safe to say that Rafael, Jones and Evans are injury prone.
Whoever comes at United needs to bed in quickly. He must also be a leader as our defense has been leaking goals for quite some times (long before Vidic and co left the club) and because of injury the staff tend to change on a game to game basis. Hence why I said that Rojo is an underwhelming signing. He's a good defender in my books but what we need is a one man army whose capable to singlehandidly sort the defense by himself
I deliberatly deleted Shaw from the quote. I won´t argue about the LB spot because although he was good for Argentina in that position in the WC, at Sporting he never convinced me. I just left Smalling and Jones. I´m sorry but aerial proficiency is one of his main assets. Better than Jones but that´s just my opinion. He will have to prove it when he starts playing in the premier league. He was an absolutely essencial player in offensive and defensive set pieces for Sporting and also Argentina. Our defence simply wasn´t as good and stable without Rojo in terms of aerial play. He was an essencial player. I don´t know if he has more pace or burst of acceleration than Shaw but he is a very quick and pacy player. If i was an United fan i wouldn´t worry about that or his physical attributes.
What does doesn´t look as commanding as a center back mean? I mean our other center back Maurício had the nickname "Sheriff" but both were commanding and vocal figures of our defence. In one of the toughest challenges last year against Porto twice (where Porto failed to score in both cup and league games) Rojo was an absolute rock and excellent in leading the line. Rojo is a center back period. He´s at his best at that position. Of course Van Gaal can put him as LB but that´s a waste of his talent. He is clearly better as CB. But perhaps if you elaborate your point i´ll understand it better.
Good to know that he is capable of being a commanding figure and his aerial ability is not a flaw in his game. Hopefully, he will become a success at Old trafford.
What would you say is a flaw to his game?
This is the Tor-Kristian Karlsen article translated to English.
Just a few things to note first: I'm danish, so there's a few differences between the two languages which was kinda difficult for me to translate, also i've just come home from an 8-hour school day, so i apologize for any spelling and grammar mistakes i've made.
United wanted Hummels, but gets Rojo. Should the United-fans be pleased?
He’s not a player that the best clubs out there would choose if they get to pick any defender they wanted, but with that said there’s a couple of things that you can’t forget that makes this decision make more sense: Manchester United doesn’t play in the Champions League this season and because of that it’s unrealistic for them to attract players such as Hummels, Höwedes or Varane, just to mention a few of the names that’s being mentioned as ‘’statement signings’’.
Secondly it seems that Louis van Gaal has been very specific with his desire of acquiring a left footed central defender, who presumably will be used as the left sided central defender in a 3-man defense, and with that in mind the signing of Rojo begins to seem more logical.
In a 3-man defense the central defenders have to be more flexible and cover more towards the sidelines, than they’d have to do in a 2-man defense.
And as we saw during the World Cup I anticipate that Van Gaal wants at least one of his central defenders to have freedom to contribute offensively, and with these things in mind I think Rojo could fit in very well.
United acquires a central defender, but is that good enough compared to their rivals?
It might sound a bit strange, but I don’t think that a quality central defender would be the difference for Manchester to be a title contender or not.
Let’s not forget that Manchester City has won 2 league titles with just 1 quality central defender – Vincent Kompany – while those that has played alongside him – Nastasic, Lescott or Demichelis – has been considered as the weak spots for them. Liverpool were in the title race right to the finish line with rotation in their central defense, where all combinations was considered ‘unsatisfying’, and it’s not until now with Lovrens arrival that they seem to have found the answer.
I think what happens with Manchester United midfield and forward will be more decisive of how their season will go.
What can you say about his strengths and weaknesses?
First and foremost he’s a fast and move around very well, which is good qualities as a central defender when you have to press up high. Enthusiastic and intense in his style of play, reaches his opponents quickly and base his a lot of his effectiveness on reading the game and breaking in front of his opponent.
This style of play naturally doesn’t come without any risk, when you encounter as much as Rojo does – even without ‘insurance’ (back up) – it can be pretty ugly at times when he fails. He’ll have to work on his timing to not run into trouble in a league where the ball and players runs around as a flipper game.
Besides that he’s very willing to take part offensively, both from a wingback position, but also as a central defender. Even though he often does offensive runs, I haven’t noticed him contribute with a lot that’s resulted into goals and his left foot is more about power than precision.
As most argentine defenders he’s fearless, he loves duels – both as a wingback and aerial duels – so the physical aspect that’s often mentioned as a threat to newcomers in the Premier League won’t be a problem for him, I believe. As most of his fellow argentines he’s got a temper as well, but I don’t see that as a negative. The threshold for ‘’dirty tricks’’ and rough play is higher in the Premier League than other leagues and it’s often temperamental players from Latin-America that succeed in England.
So where’s he best? As a pure wingback, in a 2-man central defense or as the left sided central defender in a 3-man defense?
I think that when you add up all of his qualities, it’ll suit him very well to play as a central defender in a 3-man defense. In that system he’s allowed to play with high risk, contribute offensively and give his side an extra ‘dimension’ as the ‘’adventurous’’ central defender. As a wingback he loses a bit of the ‘edge’ that makes him a quite unique central defender.
You could say that Marcos Rojo is build as a central defender, but his style of play is like a wingback.
Will he be able to grow more as a player under Louis van Gaal?
Defender, especially central defender has a tendency to develop a lot later than players ahead of them on the field. That’s primarily because the key to good defending is all about reading the situation and being able to put yourself in the right spot. Rojo is as everyone knows not a ‘’talent’’ anymore, but there’s still room for him to adjust certain elements of his game. I like it a lot that he’s enthusiastic when he’s on the field, something that I consider as sign of willingness to learn.
So all in all: A desperate buy or a good alternative?
Time will tell whether the Argentine will be a success or not, but I don’t get the negativity that Manchester United fans feel about this transfer. Although it’s probably about the timing.
If the club had already bought a big name, Rojo could probably have been welcomed with open arms?
Perhaps Manchester United should’ve bought a central defender earlier, but I’d like to believe that the club management had identified a specific profile that they need in the squad and that Rojo was the one who ticked to most boxes accordingly.
I’ve been wrong before, but I’ve got a feeling that Marcos Rojo with his honest, enthusiastic, all action-type of play, has the potential to become a favourite on Old Trafford.
Just a few things to note first: I'm danish, so there's a few differences between the two languages which was kinda difficult for me to translate, also i've just come home from an 8-hour school day, so i apologize for any spelling and grammar mistakes i've made.
United wanted Hummels, but gets Rojo. Should the United-fans be pleased?
He’s not a player that the best clubs out there would choose if they get to pick any defender they wanted, but with that said there’s a couple of things that you can’t forget that makes this decision make more sense: Manchester United doesn’t play in the Champions League this season and because of that it’s unrealistic for them to attract players such as Hummels, Höwedes or Varane, just to mention a few of the names that’s being mentioned as ‘’statement signings’’.
Secondly it seems that Louis van Gaal has been very specific with his desire of acquiring a left footed central defender, who presumably will be used as the left sided central defender in a 3-man defense, and with that in mind the signing of Rojo begins to seem more logical.
In a 3-man defense the central defenders have to be more flexible and cover more towards the sidelines, than they’d have to do in a 2-man defense.
And as we saw during the World Cup I anticipate that Van Gaal wants at least one of his central defenders to have freedom to contribute offensively, and with these things in mind I think Rojo could fit in very well.
United acquires a central defender, but is that good enough compared to their rivals?
It might sound a bit strange, but I don’t think that a quality central defender would be the difference for Manchester to be a title contender or not.
Let’s not forget that Manchester City has won 2 league titles with just 1 quality central defender – Vincent Kompany – while those that has played alongside him – Nastasic, Lescott or Demichelis – has been considered as the weak spots for them. Liverpool were in the title race right to the finish line with rotation in their central defense, where all combinations was considered ‘unsatisfying’, and it’s not until now with Lovrens arrival that they seem to have found the answer.
I think what happens with Manchester United midfield and forward will be more decisive of how their season will go.
What can you say about his strengths and weaknesses?
First and foremost he’s a fast and move around very well, which is good qualities as a central defender when you have to press up high. Enthusiastic and intense in his style of play, reaches his opponents quickly and base his a lot of his effectiveness on reading the game and breaking in front of his opponent.
This style of play naturally doesn’t come without any risk, when you encounter as much as Rojo does – even without ‘insurance’ (back up) – it can be pretty ugly at times when he fails. He’ll have to work on his timing to not run into trouble in a league where the ball and players runs around as a flipper game.
Besides that he’s very willing to take part offensively, both from a wingback position, but also as a central defender. Even though he often does offensive runs, I haven’t noticed him contribute with a lot that’s resulted into goals and his left foot is more about power than precision.
As most argentine defenders he’s fearless, he loves duels – both as a wingback and aerial duels – so the physical aspect that’s often mentioned as a threat to newcomers in the Premier League won’t be a problem for him, I believe. As most of his fellow argentines he’s got a temper as well, but I don’t see that as a negative. The threshold for ‘’dirty tricks’’ and rough play is higher in the Premier League than other leagues and it’s often temperamental players from Latin-America that succeed in England.
So where’s he best? As a pure wingback, in a 2-man central defense or as the left sided central defender in a 3-man defense?
I think that when you add up all of his qualities, it’ll suit him very well to play as a central defender in a 3-man defense. In that system he’s allowed to play with high risk, contribute offensively and give his side an extra ‘dimension’ as the ‘’adventurous’’ central defender. As a wingback he loses a bit of the ‘edge’ that makes him a quite unique central defender.
You could say that Marcos Rojo is build as a central defender, but his style of play is like a wingback.
Will he be able to grow more as a player under Louis van Gaal?
Defender, especially central defender has a tendency to develop a lot later than players ahead of them on the field. That’s primarily because the key to good defending is all about reading the situation and being able to put yourself in the right spot. Rojo is as everyone knows not a ‘’talent’’ anymore, but there’s still room for him to adjust certain elements of his game. I like it a lot that he’s enthusiastic when he’s on the field, something that I consider as sign of willingness to learn.
So all in all: A desperate buy or a good alternative?
Time will tell whether the Argentine will be a success or not, but I don’t get the negativity that Manchester United fans feel about this transfer. Although it’s probably about the timing.
If the club had already bought a big name, Rojo could probably have been welcomed with open arms?
Perhaps Manchester United should’ve bought a central defender earlier, but I’d like to believe that the club management had identified a specific profile that they need in the squad and that Rojo was the one who ticked to most boxes accordingly.
I’ve been wrong before, but I’ve got a feeling that Marcos Rojo with his honest, enthusiastic, all action-type of play, has the potential to become a favourite on Old Trafford.
Thanks Suggs, that was interesting.
I gave an indepth opinion of Rojo in his transfer forum thread. My opinion comes from watching him in the portuguese league. I have been defending him but i understand the skepticism of United fans. United and english football will be a whole new level. Commanding a defence line of Cédric, Maurício and Jefferson against Rio Ave, is easier than commanding a line of Rafael, Johny Evans and Shaw against Liverpool.
I´m not saying he will be a hit but i think that Rojo possess the right caractheristics for english football. Quick and strong physically. Excelent in the aerial game and capable of holding his own when facing counter attack tactical setups. In Portugal (except in the games against Benfica, Porto and Braga) every team plays that way. Having Rojo with his quickness is a big plus. Having Rojo in corner kicks and free kicks was an obvious advantage. Rojo´s versatility is also a plus. I mean he played mostly as CB but everytime there was an injury problem or an need for tactical change, Rojo is always the first to be ready to play multiple positions. He even played as DM once in the start of his Sporting career. And he wasn´t that bad. In a game, if United is chasing a result and going gung ho, Rojo is a very interesting player to have. With his quickness and positional sense, he was able of handling the whole left side of the defense (as CB/LB) as we changed sometimes to 3-5-2 when adopting a very offensive stance. What´s not to like in having a player as versatile as this? Who´s not injury prone and has the right caractheristics for english football. I´m willing to bet that for Van Gaal when you face teams like Stoke, besides De Gea, he will be the first player in the team sheet. United also needs this kind of players. Players that aren´t know by their finesse but that give their all and hussle when they have to hussle. Play hard when they face opponents that try to intimidate with their physical football. I think Van Gaal thought about all of this. It´s lovely to have players with Evans finesse but you also need warriors like Rojo. Because you face different kinds of opponents. And you have to be prepared for everything.
Rojo´s flaws have been highlighted plenty of times by me. His concentration lapses, occasional positional errors (perhaps explained by the fact that he changes positions alot) and dreadful disciplinary records are his major cons. He will also have to change his approach to referee´s. English refs aren´t as permissive as portuguese refs. He will get sent off alot if he doesn´t change his always complaining nature. Like i already said, Van Gaal will have to do alot of physicological work. England is completely new level and much demanding and difficult than Portugal.
I'm afraid there is no single solution to any "cb mess'', ''midfield mess'' or any other mess which is why after signing Herrera we still need another midfielder . In central defence the time has come for the players we currently have to step up and be counted, particularly Evans and Smalling, because even if we do spend on a Marquee CB like Benatia he'd still need his partners to step up. Long story shot, this clamour for signings is protecting players from being held to account for their performances and inconsistencies, they should man up because we know, particularly Evans and Smalling, that they have in them and were counted on to take over the mantle from a highly acclaimed partnership. This is their chance and I hope they take it.
Great in depth analysis. Looks like he is capable of making a name here at Manchester United.
I think he will mate. I´m in this forum for the long run but i´d be willing to bet that Rojo will become a fan favourite at the end of the season. He´s the kind of player you like to have on your team (aslong as Van Gaal keeps doing Leonardo Jardim´s work of trying to improve his disciplinary woes).
I have been a huge fan of our defensive set up of Jones - Smailling - Blackett. Blackett still lacks experience and will mostly be dropped out of three. I hope Rojo performance in this back three will be as good or better from what we saw from Blackett in pre-season.
I see mate. I´m going to be honest i haven´t seen much of Blackett. I usually watch 80 to 90% of United´s games since i´m a big fan of english football but i missed the Swansea game due to a family party and just saw the pre season game against Real Madrid and bits of the game against Valência. I´m usually informed about United but this year i haven´t seen much yet.
To be fair, the part that has impressed about Blackett is his calmness on the ball, he hasn't really been tested much defensively since he came in the team.
Very nice and informative. Thanks
i dont know. I just remember somone being impressive down that left wing
Any ideas on when he's having his medical?
Hes supposed to have had the first part of the medical at Bridgewater last night and the second part at Carrington this morning. My guess is that the hold up are the personal terms to be finalized but that should be done today.
I think he has been tested against many quality team this pre-season. He showed great positioning and reading of the game, which complement hard tacklers like Smailling and Jones. He did not look out of place like M. Keane when we played Real Madrid and he also help set our noteworthy goal conceded ratio this tour. He lacks experience, but he has shown maturity and solidarity in defense so far.
Agreed, very interesting, and thanks for translating
So you're basically dismissing Rojo because you haven't 'followed' him. You're dismissing something you know nothing about. And yes, im sure you devote a lot of time following other leagues. I bet you haven't watched more than ten games of each player last season.
I loved the last Argentinian left footed centreback/leftback hybrid we had at the club a few years ago, even if he did leave us in bad terms so I'm looking forward to seeing Rojo.
He just followed the official United twitter in last few minutes. Not that I'm maniacally checking twitter constantly.
https://twitter.com/marcosrojoscp/following
https://twitter.com/marcosrojoscp/following
How much do you wanna bet?
Im not a betting man in that sense, but I know many people will claim to be experts on foreign leagues like they seriously have time to watch these players week in week out. Im skeptical.
Looks a good player to me, happy with this business.
I'm probably moaning for moaning sake but we really are slow to conclude transfers nowadays.
It's slightly disheartening when we consider there's still significant strengthening needed and probably not enough time.
It's slightly disheartening when we consider there's still significant strengthening needed and probably not enough time.
Just watching his World Cup goal, all the summer I was trying to monitor Garay, would never have thought we'd end up with Rojo instead.
@Sly great coverage as always!
@Sly great coverage as always!
People who think that the Portuguese, Dutch, French, etc. are crap and therefore there are no good players there are missing the point. Those leagues are at that level, not because of lack of good players, but because they are seller leagues (except for PSG in the recent years). What they do is take young or unknown players with potential and give them opportunity to develop. That's why you see so many world class players coming from those leagues. The EPL on the other hand is a buyer league - there is very limited opportunity for young/unknown players to make a name for themselves here.
If this is our last signing of the summer then we should wait till deadline day and announce this signing then to keep spirits up.I'm probably moaning for moaning sake but we really are slow to conclude transfers nowadays.
It's slightly disheartening when we consider there's still significant strengthening needed and probably not enough time.