Marcos Rojo relishing Manchester United defensive role

Manchester United, 11/4 with Coral to lift the FA Cup, are in the hunt for silverware success this season, while also aiming to make a return to Champions League football by securing of a top four spot.

A key factor in the Red Devils’ defensive resolve has been the performances of dominant defender Marcos Rojo, with the astute Argentina international proving to be vital in the heart of Louis van Gaal’s back-line.

The 24-year-old arrived at Old Trafford last summer after helping his country reach the World Cup final in Brazil, eventually losing out to Germany in extra-time, before signing from Sporting Lisbon for a reported £16m.

United’s Dutch boss revealed that he was convinced into securing the former Lisbon lion’s signature after analysing a video of his performances during the 2014 tournament, where his on-field antics left Van Gaal enchanted as he managed Holland to the semi-finals.

Since arriving in the red half of Manchester, Rojo has been deployed at left-back and centre-back, but his most prominent performances have come from operating as one of the latter in a 4-4-2 system.

His ability to seamlessly switch from one role to the other is a factor which made United’s boss sign the versatile defender during last summer’s transfer frenzy, arriving alongside fellow countryman Angel Di Maria.

The aggressive Argentine has been one of United’s star performers in recent months after returning from an injury lay-off, having dislocated his shoulder, and has been crucial to his side’s impressive run of results.

Despite a serious surge of criticism regarding their style of play and tactics, Van Gaal’s men have now been beaten just once in their last 19 games in all competitions, climbing to third in the Premier League and securing a place in this year’s FA Cup quarter-finals.

Rojo has been one of the players at the forefront of that rampant run, with his strong defensive displays and no-nonsense attitude finally shining after a frustrating injury-stricken start to his United career.