Manchester united defenders Chris Smalling and Marcos Rojo are training away from the rest of the Manchester United squad amid the possibility that they could leave Old Trafford for assignments elsewhere.
Smalling and Rojo are training in a separate arrangement from the first-team squad at Manchester United’s Carrington training complex.
According to MEN, the pair arrived at Carrington training complex before 8am on Friday morning and both left before the rest of the first-team players turned up.
Neither of them is expected to travel to Aston Villa for Manchester United’s pre-season friendly on Saturday.
Chris Smalling, 30, spent last season on loan at the Italian club Roma and a permanent deal has partly been delayed by a change in ownership at the club following its sale to the US-based Friedkin Group, which was confirmed in mid-August.
Chris Smalling was already keen on staying in Rome and the club’s coach Paulo Fonseca has expressed his desire to keep the defender in Italy.
Chirs Smalling was one of the first Manchester United players to report for pre-season training last week and his contract expires in 2022.
Marcos Rojo, 30, endured a chastening five-month loan with Estudiantes in his home country Argentina, where he played once following a mid-season move. His Agent Jonathan Barnett admitted it was ‘obvious’ Rojo needed to leave Old Trafford for good.
“I couldn’t comment on what Solskjaer thinks but I think it’s obvious,” Jonathan Barnett said. “I think with Rojo, probably [a move] is more than likely somewhere else.”
Rojo started once in the Premier League last season when he was an 11th hour replacement in the draw against Liverpool for Axel Tuanzebe, who sustained an injury in the warm-up. Rojo returned to his native Argentina in December and his loan to Estudiantes was not confirmed until January 30.
Even though Rojo’s loan with Estudiantes officially ended at the end of June and United had a shortage of left-footed defenders, Solskjaer decided against recalling him for United’s remaining Premier League fixtures and suggested Rojo was no longer in his plans.
“At the moment I can’t see him coming back here over the summer because we’ve been in this bubble and have this squad available until next summer,” Solskjaer said.
“So he just needs to focus on getting and staying fit and being ready for wherever that takes him.”
Marcos Rojo’s contract expires next year when United would be free to release him.
