Manchester United defender Marcos Rojo has claimed that Angel Di Maria is as good as Argentina superstar Lionel Messi.
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Speaking on the eve of the Copa America final, the defender has argued that his besieged teammate Di Maria is on equal terms with Messi.
Rojo has also backed his teammate to overcome his poor first season at Old Trafford.
“He’s one of the best in the world and on his day can do things like Messi and Ronaldo, that’s the level he’s on,” began Rojo, as reported by the Express.
“I’m sure this coming season we will see very special things from him.”
Certain United supporters would firmly disagree with Rojo’s observation; Di Maria was criticised by some portions of the fanbase last season after a series of underwhelming performances, although he did contribute 10 assists during his maiden EPL campaign [Manchester Evening News].
“People forget Di Maria last season was adapting to a new league,” continued Rojo, defending his teammate in light of criticism from fans.
“They just saw a big transfer fee, and maybe didn’t think about England being very different from Spain – it’s a lot more physical”
While the defender is clearly confident that Di Maria can come good in Manchester, it remains to be seen whether Di Maria will spend another campaign at Old Trafford.
The former Real Madrid star has been linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain, while Bayern Munich are also rumoured to be interested in the 2014 Champions League winner [Express].
Should he depart, van Gaal would surely love to recuperate the majority of the £59.7 million he spent to bring the Argentine international to the Premier League, although it remains to be seen whether the player’s suitors would splash out nearly £60 million on the flop.
Rojo, Di Maria and Messi are set to compete in the Copa America final for Argentina this evening.