According to reports from Manchester Evening News yesterday evening, Manchester United could sell defender Marcos Rojo in January and replace him with Porto star Bruno Martins Indi.
The Netherlands international was part of Louis van Gaal’s squad at last summer’s World Cup and featured prominently as Oranje reached the tournament’s semi-finals, but went on to join Porto instead in a €7.7million deal despite copious rumours of him becoming one of the Dutchman’s first signings as Old Trafford boss.
Reports earlier this month revealed he’s on the Red Devils’ radar once again, with United scouts running the rule over the 6 foot 1 defender – who can play at centre-back or left-back – during a recent 2-1 win over Chelsea in the Champions League.
According to MEN, however, Martins Indi’s Old Trafford arrival could well come at the expense of the man he essentially replaced within the Porto starting Xi – the equally versatile Marcos Rojo.
The Mancunian publication claims the relationship between the Argentina international and van Gaal has broken down in recent months over a spate of issues, most notably him reporting late for United’s pre-season tour due to ‘passport issues’. That is allegedly why Rojo wasn’t considered for selection until the win over Liverpool on September 12th.
United were considering including the 25 year-old as part of the deal that saw Anthony Martial arrive from Monaco for £36million during the summer, but decided to retain the balance and depth of the squad instead.
But MEN claim the Red Devil are now ready to jettison the South American in January and replace him with Martins Indi, aged 23.