Why Marcos Rojo could be a smart addition to Aston Villa

According to the Daily Star, Manchester United are ready to offload their flops Marcos Rojo and Nemanja Matic in January.

Both Marcos Rojo, 29, and Nemanja Matic, 31, have fallen out of favour at Old Trafford, with the pair making just six Premier League appearances between them this season.

Matic, who joined Manchester United from Chelsea in the summer of 2017, is now deemed surplus to requirements, having dropped behind Scott McTominay, Fred and the returning Paul Pogba in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s pecking order.

Marcos Rojo, who the Red Devils signed from Sporting Lisbon back in 2014, has not featured under Solskjaer for over a month. He has fallen down the pecking order and is well behind youngsters Axel Tuanzebe and Brandon Williams.

With United keen to offload both Rojo and Matic, Aston Villa must reignite their interest in Rojo, who was linked with a deadline day move to Villa Park in August. (h/t The Birmingham Mail)

A 5-match winless run is one of the reasons why Aston Villa are in the bottom three. Dean Smith’s side have lost their last four league games, and have earned just four points from their last nine league matches. In addition, midfielder John McGinn fractured an ankle in the 3-1 defeat to Southampton, which is set to rule him out for three months.

There is no end to Villa’s problems, and as per BBC, Smith will look to reinforce his squad in January. And one area the Villa boss should prioritise addressing is the defence, which has conceded 33 goals in 18 games.

There seems to be a lack of quality and leadership in Villa’s defence, except for Tyron Mings, who has missed the last three games across all competitions with a thigh problem.

Villa’s defensive crisis has been highlighted this season and if they are to avoid any more damage, Smith must look to bring in Marcos Rojo.

Rojo would be a useful addition to Aston Villa. His no-nonsense defending and versatile nature could see him make a solid impact for the Premier League strugglers.

Despite another injury-hit campaign with United, which has limited him to just nine appearances across all competitions, the Argentinean international is capable of leading Villa’s defence in Mings’ absence.

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Verdict

What makes the former Sporting Lisbon man different from Villa’s current crop of defenders is his versatility to play in different positions across the backline.

He can operate in a back-four and also in a three-man defence. Add to that his Premier League experience and Rojo can be a smart addition to Villa’s fragile backline. If Rojo can stay away from injuries, he would be a coup for Smith’s Villa.