Marcos Rojo isn’t exactly what you’d call a ‘relaxed’ personality. The Argentine has a fiery streak about him and no one will believe that he hasn’t picked up a single red card while wearing Manchester red. His former United teammate, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, isn’t a subdued personality either. Zlatan’s commanding presence in the dressing room and sizeable ego means that occasional conflict with teammates is to be expected – and it did with Marcos Rojo.
As reported by Rich Jones of The Mirror, the United centre-back currently on loan at Estudiantes, recalls a dressing room conflict he had with Ibrahimovic during their shared time in Manchester. The incident apparently arose due to the pair’s ‘fierce approach’ on the training ground, requiring Mourinho to ask the pair to ‘calm things down.’
The on-pitch antics spilt into the dressing room, however. Then manager, Jose Mourinho’s presence was important in de-escalating the situation. Rojo says that the issue began when on the pitch “during a game phase, I saw him ask for it and I didn’t give it to him. I passed it to Paul Pogba.” In response, Ibrahimovic “started yelling at me, raising his hand, and telling me a lot of things in Spanish and English. And in the middle, Jose Mourinho was trying to calm us down.”
Thankfully the issue was sorted and both parties moved forward. Both served United although neither are at the club anymore. Zlatan moved to play his trade in the MLS with LA Galaxy, after which returning to Europe with AC Milan. Mourinho was sacked in 2018 and is currently managing Tottenham Hotspur and Rojo is enjoying a loan with his boyhood club, Estudiantes.
Solskjaer’s goal was to build a more harmonious squad and whether you’re a fan of him as United manager or not, no more dressing room bust-ups are something every United supporter would hope for.
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