Rojo has got lucky on two occasions thanks to some remarkably leniant refereeing.
Martin Keown has slammed Manchester United defender Marcos Rojo in the Daily Mail after he escaped a red card for a two-footed lunge on Wilfried Zaha against Crystal Palace.
In a game steeped in controversy, Zlatan Ibrahimovic clipped home a late winner from a perfectly weighted Paul Pogba pass to condemn Crystal Palace to a defeat that keeps them just three points above the drop zone.
And Alan Pardew’s side can consider themselves unfortunate not to have been given a huge advantage with the scoreline still goalless midway through the first-half as Argentine centre-back Rojo was awarded a yellow for a potentially horrific tackle on a rampaging Zaha.
The former United winger managed to narrowly evade the challenge but Everton’s Idrissa Gana Gueye was not so fortunate at Goodison Park two weeks ago, Rojo once again fortunate to avoid a red for a similarly reckless offence.
And Keown, himself far from a shrinking violet as a player, has condemned the former Sporting Lisbon defender, claiming that he has no regard for the potential damage he could do to an opponent.
“It is reckless — there is no care for your opponent and it could cause serious injury,” the former Arsenal stalwart wrote in his column for the Daily Mail. “He has had two let-offs in recent weeks and has received a public grilling for those tackles.
“Rojo is a fool if he doesn’t try to do something about it. Rojo cannot afford to get suspended and give up his place for anybody as he might not get back in the team.”
Nethertheless, the versatile defender has enjoyed his most consistent spell in the heart of the United backline in recent weeks with Jose Mourinho going as far as to describe his and Phil Jones partnership against Tottenham as “magnificent”, as reported by The Express.
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