Ex-Manchester United defender Marcos Rojo didn’t hold back when talking about his old teammate Harry Maguire in a recent interview, along with Ole Gunnar Solskjær too.
The former United fullback didn’t spend a lot of time playing alongside the Red Devils’ current club captain, but it seems the England international didn’t leave the greatest impression on Rojo, who spent seven years at Old Trafford.
Speaking to Argentine outlet TyC Sports earlier this week, the 33-year-old spoke of the time he went into head coach Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s office when United were playing in the Europa League and demanded that he be put in the starting lineup over Maguire or be allowed to leave.
Rojo explained how he was enjoying a good spell in his United career (which was often derailed by injuries), and was starting to play more regularly in cup games, but after Maguire signed for the club in 2019, he grew frustrated that he was playing in the team even despite poor performances.
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“I was playing in the Europa League, but I was really angry with the coach [Ole] because he was putting Maguire [in the squad] instead of me, who thank god they finally took him out of the starting lineup for Licha [Lisandro] Martinez.
“One day I went to Solskjaer’s office to tell him to let me leave for the other club or put [me] in the starting lineup, but he told me that Maguire had to play because of the money they paid for him.”, having signed for over £80 million — a then-world record fee for a defender.
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Rojo went on to say “[Maguire] was making huge mistakes already” — having regularly come under fire for lapses in concentration, poor form and general misfortune on the pitch for a while now — and said to Solskjaer: “Son of a b***h, let me play because this guy is making huge mistakes every week”.
While the remark was undercut with laughter, it’s clear that he was just as frustrated with the Norwegian as he was with Maguire.
Now playing at Boca Juniors back in his home country, Rojo’s United career might never have hit the heights he would have hoped for after singing all the way back in 2014, but it certainly looked like he spotted some of the same issues many Reds have raised for months now.
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With Lisandro Martinez now out for the rest of the season and Raphael Varane also struggling with injury problems, Erik ten Hag hasn’t been left with much choice other than to phase Maguire back into the starting lineup and will just hoping he can finally recover some kind of form.
Many supporters also think even one of Maguire’s current teammates may not be the biggest fan either.
As a Manc colleague remarked: ‘If someone looked at me like that I’d never wanna leave the house again’. 😂https://t.co/D2TIoFgf8Y
Featured Image — Marcos Rojo (via Instagram)/Man United (via Twitter)
Sport
Tickets go live as opening date is announced for Manchester City’s new ‘immersive’ museum experience
Emily Sergeant
Tickets to visit Manchester City’s new ‘immersive’ museum experience have officially gone live ahead of the grand opening.
Set to open in the heart of the £300m Medlock Square entertainment district at Manchester’s Etihad Campus next month, the Manchester City Museum Experience will be spread across 10 distinctive spaces – with visitors invited to take a trip down memory lane with nostalgic environments from throughout the club’s history.
Fans will also be able to take part in interactive media experiences, like posing with all 48 major trophies won by the club’s first teams or trying their hand at football punditry.
The experience will combine the latest immersive technology with physical memorabilia drawn from across the club’s history to do this.
Hidden details and surprising ‘did you know’ facts are set to be embedded across the experience, so that even the most devoted Man City fans will have the chance to discover something new about the club they love.
By combining interactive environments, technology, and authentic artefacts, the experience is aiming to appeal to a wide audience – from lifelong Manchester City supporters, to families and those with a broader interest in football, culture, and the city of Manchester.
“The Museum Experience has been designed as a destination that goes beyond just the pitch,” commented Jeremy Maxton, who is the Director of Visitor Attractions at Manchester City Football Club.
Manchester City releases CGIs and important details of its new ‘immersive’ museum / Credit: Manchester City / Ralph Appelbaum Associates (RAA)
“Whether you’re a lifelong supporter, visiting Manchester for a weekend, or simply looking for a unique day out, we’ve created an experience that offers something for everyone.
“From the recreated environments and original memorabilia to the interactive elements, there are different ways into the Club’s history throughout the Museum.
“We’ve also built in space for new stories to be added over time, so the experience can continue to evolve. It’s been a huge project to bring together and we’re looking forward to people seeing it for themselves later this year.”
The Manchester City Museum Experience officially opens on 14 December, and you can now book tickets to visit from that date here.
Featured Image – Credit: Manchester City / Ralph Appelbaum Associates (RAA)
Sport
Details released of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners while Mayor
Emily Sergeant
Details of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners during his tenure as Mayor of Greater Manchester have been released.
In case you need bringing up to speed on the situation a little first, Manchester City was found guilty back in September all of its charges related to the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period, and on top of that, was also found guilty of the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate with the League’s investigation.
According to the Premier League, the independent Commission found that Manchester City had arranged so-called ‘sham’ commercial deals with a number of its sponsors.
These were part of a disguised funding scheme – with those sponsors only required to pay a portion of the relevant sponsorship fees.
The remainder was then funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), which owned the club.
The Commission also concluded, as quoted by the Premier League, that the club had ‘made concerted efforts to stop and frustrate the Premier League investigation’.
Within the past week or so, it has since come to light that now-Prime Minister Andy Burnham had dealings with Manchester City during his tenure as Greater Manchester Mayor, and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has now issued a public statement, giving details on the matter and what these ‘dealings’ entailed.
A spokesperson for GMCA confirmed that Burnham had a ‘formal meeting’ with Man City Chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, back in October 2021.
The statement reads in full: “In October 2021, Andy Burnham, in his role as Mayor of Greater Manchester, had a formal meeting with Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit arranged by the Department for International Trade.
“In his capacity as Mayor, he was a guest of Manchester City FC at home matches on a small number of occasions, including attending Vincent Kompany’s testimonial match in September 2019, where he met the Chairman informally in the stands. These have been declared in the usual way.
“Also during his time as Mayor, representatives of Greater Manchester sporting clubs would routinely join business delegations as part of Mayoral international visits.
“This included representatives from Manchester United travelling to Austin and Dublin, Lancashire Cricket Club joining a delegation to India, and Manchester City FC staff supporting visits to China and Japan.”
Featured Image – Lauren Hurley / Number 10 Downing Street (Press Image via Flickr)
Danny Jones -
30th April 2023 
