Ex-Man United defender Marcos Rojo suffers serious knee injury at Boca Juniors

Former Manchester United defender Marcos Rojo has suffered a serious knee injury playing for Boca Juniors in his native Argentina.

Rojo, who left United in February last year, tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during Boca’s 1-0 win at Sarmiento in the Primera Division on Wednesday.

Boca said Rojo, 32, will undergo surgery on his knee on Monday and it’s likely he will face several months on the sidelines.

Marcos Rojo has suffered a serious knee injury playing for Boca Juniors in Argentina

The former Manchester United defender was left in agony after getting his studs caught

Rojo, 32, had to be taken off the pitch on a golf buggy and is set to miss several months 

He suffered the injury just a few minutes after seeing a penalty saved by Sarmiento goalkeeper Sebastian Meza.

It was a pretty innocuous incident with Rojo reaching for the ball under no real pressure and appearing to get his studs caught in the turf.

Boca’s No 6 crumpled to the ground as Sarmiento forward Luciano Gondou stepped over him and immediately signalled to the bench while holding his knee.

Rojo looked close to tears as he took his place on the subs bench following initial treatment, with heavy strapping around the joint.

An emotional Rojo was consoled by his team-mates as he watched on from the subs bench

Rojo’s injury is set to end his season and he will have to concentrate on returning next year

He had to be consoled by team-mates and watched on as a goal by Luca Langoni on the stroke of half-time kept Boca clear of Atletico Tucuman at the top of the standings.

Speaking after the game, Rojo told the club’s website: ‘I feel sad, everything indicates it is the ligament. Tomorrow, I have to do the scans, let’s hope it’s nothing.’

Rojo watched the remainder of Boca’s 1-0 win at Sarmiento with his knee heavily strapped

The injury did not stop him getting up off the bench to shout encouragement to his team

Boca subsequently confirmed that his worst fears had been realised.

Rojo had only just returned to the Boca side after receiving an unusual punishment from the Argentine FA for kicking River Plate’s Nicolas de la Cruz in the head during the Superclasico last month.

He was handed a one-match suspension for the red card that resulted and was then banned from captaining Boca for a month.

Marcos Rojo launches into Nicolas de la Cruz with a high boot that saw him shown a red card 

The defender saw red with 30 seconds of stoppage time remaining for a high-studded tackle

It isn’t the first time Rojo, who has made 61 Argentina appearances with his last one in 2019, has suffered a cruciate ligament injury.

He needed seven months of recovery after suffering a similar injury playing for United against Anderlecht in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa League in April 2017.

Rojo didn’t return to action until the end of November, missing United’s victory in the competition.

Having fallen out of favour at Old Trafford, he was sent on loan to Estudiantes in Argentina in January 2020 and subsequently joined Boca just over a year later.

Rojo suffered a similar knee injury playing for Manchester United against Anderlecht in 2017