On August 20, Manchester United announced their fourth signing of the summer, with Sporting Lisbon defender Marcos Rojo joining the Red Devils on a deal estimated to be worth around $28.6 million.
The deal is subject to a medical and also the agreement of personal terms.
Going the other way is Portuguese winger Nani, who will be joining his former club on a season-long loan.
The deal allows United to clear its roster of one of the players they’ve been trying to move, and also brings in a much needed defender who can play in any one of the three spots across the back and also down the left side.
Rojo joins United on the back of a second placed finish with Sporting in the Portuguese Primeira Liga, and a strong World Cup campaign where he helped his home nation Argentina to the final, only to succumb to the quality of Germany.
Along the way Rojo scored six goals in 29 games for his club, and helped his keeper, Rui Patrício, to the most clean sheets in the league.
Rojo played all but one game in Brazil with Argentina, keeping three clean sheets in the six games he played. He also scored the winning goal in the 3-2 victory over Nigeria.
Rojo joins United after their 2-1 home defeat to Swansea in the opening game of the Premier League, which exposed a few holes in the squad that can only be fixed with the signing of a number of high class players.
The acquisition of Rojo provides United with a top class defender, who, at 24 years of age, gives United a future captain of the side and provides another aerial threat on set pieces.
The upside of Rojo’s signing is that United get a player who has proven his talent at the biggest stage of them all, the World Cup, and also gives United an experienced defender, amassing 121 senior games for club and 28 games for country.
Rojo will likely play in a back three that includes any one of, Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Tyler Blackett.
United will be hoping that Rojo can make an immediate impact for Louis van Gaal’s squad, who are desperate for an assertive defender. If he does what Eric Dier did for Tottenham – left Sporting Lisbon for the Premier League this transfer window, and scored a stoppage time winner on debut – then United will regain the confidence lost after the first game of this season.
Josh
Roar Rookie
JB - I think you can see my point regarding the Rojo signing, obviously he will be seen as someone that can come in and strengthen that area. However for me I can't see him being what, in my opinion, United need and that is a seasoned dominant center-half. As a Liverpool fan I am always watching closely the additions and squad movements of rivals and given that Liverpool were linked with Rojo earlier, until going with Alberto Moreno, in the summer I watched him very closely at the World Cup etc. For me he is a full back who can operate in the middle of the park when needed, obviously when Shaw is fit he will be deployed on the left hand side of the 5 man defensive unit that LVG wants to deploy. Rafael/Valencia - Smalling/Evans - Jones - Rojo - Shaw still looks very shaky for me, the answer to your question around improvement would be to not only sign Rojo but also bring another CB who can "lead" the defensive unit, who that is I am not sure however I am ecstatic that we signed Lovren to assist in this area.
j binnie
Guest
Josh -When one looks at the defensive line-ups last year (league only) we find that Phil Jones played most with 26 games,followed by Vidic on 23,Smalling on 21,Evans on 17 and Ferdinand in 12.With Ferdinand and Vidic now gone we find the 3 remaining recognised centre-backs were members of that defensive system that played so badly last season.So where is the improvement most needed.???? Leave tht to you. jb
j binnie
Guest
Hudson - you confuse me with your logic,As I said the WM formation went out of vogue around 1954 when the Hungarians demonstrated a type of organisational set-up that literally tore the established fixed 3 man backline to shreds so with that in mind you won't have seen many teams playing a 3 man backline since then,never mind at United. Your second paragraph contradicts itself. You say you appreciate that modern players should become defensively minded as soon as possession is lost then criticise Young,a very expensive signing for United, for not being capable of doing that.You should not only single out Young, for the Belgian on the right side has exactly the same problem. Your venture into Liverpool has no relativity to United's problem and is surely a topic for another time and place. Cheers jb
Josh
Roar Rookie
Very true in regards to Jones & Smalling in the air, and to an extent Evans when fit. I suppose my argument around this signing is who plays the dominant center half out of Jones, Smalling, Evans, Blackett or Rojo?? Not having a Ferdinand or Vidic type leader at the back signals disaster in my mind - hence the Sigurdsson winner on the weekend, Young was terribly out of position and lacked direction. If you look at where Liverpool struggled last year it was a defensive organizer, so Rodgers brings in Lovren to improve that area. I am sure Rojo will be a good acquisition for United, from what we saw in Brazil and also for Sporting last season, however if another Center Half doesn't come in this window regardless of what happens up front or in midfield united wont finish in the top 4.
Hudson Magerstein
Roar Rookie
I understand that it is not a new idea. For recent Man United sides though it is, not once in the last 5 years of Man United have they adopted 3 at the back. Of course all players are expected to become defenders, but when has the responsibility of being a high pressing winger changed to becoming the last line of defence. What I'm saying is that our defence cannot be judged as yet, because the guy charged with the responsibility of being a wide attacker and the last line of defence is currently injured, no one can possibly hope that Ashley Young can play in either a back 3 or 4. Exactly, change has begun, but is it truly needed. the 2012-13 Liverpool team finished 7th in the league, the very next year they finished 2nd. Yet they only brought in Mignolet, Toure and Sakho who had a major contribution to the team. And of the 9 players that left, only 3 had made more than 30 appearances for the club a year earlier - Downing, Shelvey and Carragher (who was also their most experienced defender). 2012 was also Rodgers first season in charge, he kept virtually the same squad that finished 7th to finish 2nd the year later. Yes, change has begun at United, but, given time, is the change truly needed, given what has happened in the past.
j binnie
Guest
Hudson - Don't know who your reply was addressed to but a back 3 playing in a line is not a new idea. When Herbert Chapman moved his centre-half back between a pair of usually static, hard tackling fullbacks, he was in fact making a strategic move to help his players attain one of his, Chapman's, favourite instructions. That instruction was "You go on the field with one point,don't come off the field without it" !!!. That was at Arsenal around 1926,and such was the impact on the game the world wide favoured 2-3-5 formation changed into the WM formation (or 3-4-3), which was played up until the post war years (1945) all across the world, some 20 years.. Your description of wing backs becoming defenders is a touch naive,for in today's game every player is expected to become a "defender" as soon as possession of the ball is lost hence the further tactical development of what is known as the "high press". You go on to say you don't think "change is needed",can I put it to you the "change" has already begun with at least 6 players who featured often last year moving on. IMO there will be more,if the "rumour mill" is to be believed maybe even another 6 of last year's recognised first team pool being "chased"by other clubs.not to mention another 5 "lesser" players who have already been moved on.All of these guys mentioned were signings made by SAF.????? Now,with 3 new signings completed and 2 weeks to go in the "signing window" you may see even more change . Cheers jb
Hudson Magerstein
Roar Rookie
Oh he definitely is not a comparison to Vidic in the air, but in comparison to Jones & Smalling, I believe he is a bit more commanding in the air (although being shorter than Smalling). He proved this at the World Cup with his goal. Mats Hummels would've been the perfect signing for United, but they couldn't get him,in my opinion, in terms of talent, prospect, and immediate impact he will good for the Red Devils. But, as with any signing it's what they do on the park that proves that.
Josh
Roar Rookie
Such a strange signing for me considering the arrival of Luke Shaw. Warranted Rojo is a good addition for LVG however surely a more commanding center half would of been a priority. Jones, Smalling, Rojo still has me licking my lips with anticipation to face the Red Devils. Mats Hummels was obviously rumored however he seems to be anchored to Dortmund this season, I wouldn't have been surprised to see Ron Vlaar after his performance in Brazil come in and add the 'general' type at the back. Rojo for me wont add any danger to the set piece that is missing since Vidic's departure to Italy.
Hudson Magerstein
Roar Rookie
The back three with the two wide players across the midfield/wing-back position, that van Gaal plays, doesn't leave the defenders with only three at the back, it becomes five at the back when in defence. Obviously this didn't work against Swansea, as the two wide guys were not good defenders (Young, Lingard, and Januzaj). When Shaw returns we have a guy who was made for that position and can drop back into defence if need be. What doesn't work for United as shown in the first match, was that when we change into a 4-4-2, we are left with one of the 3, moving out wide and having to drop a wide guy back into defence, i.e. Ashley Young. I don't think change is "needed" at the club, but because the fans are so used to success, if a manager wants to stick around, he has to have an immediate impact. This is why players are demanded, van Gaal agrees his team is missing a few pieces, but I believe this is because he hasn't got time to 'breed' what he has.
j binnie
Guest
Football United - Isn't it strange. I refer to the silence emanating from those, who only 4 months ago, were in the "hanging party " for Moyes.If you suggested then that the United squad needed urgent re-working you were blasted out of the sky with claims "this was the squad that won the championship last year". Now it appears everyone is coming round to the reality of the situation and wholesale change is being called for.With the departure of Ferdinand,Evra ,Buttner,Covic and now Nani,and the apparent retiral for good of Giggs and Scholes that "champion team" has been decimated.The 3 you mention above were also regular participants in last season's matches and were found wanting so I'm not so sure Van Gaal's "3 at the back" desire has been filled with the arrival of Rojo.We shall see. jb
Football United
Guest
One new defender is still not enough if United want three at the back, particularly if the other options are Jones, Smalling and Evans. Another quality defender is needed as well as a box to box midfielder.