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Marcos Rojo’s Manchester United return opens door for West Ham to target teammate Chris Smalling

Marcos Rojo in action during the Premier League match between Sunderland and Manchester United at Stadium of Light on April 9, 2017 in Sunderland, ...
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Will West Ham revisit interest in Manchester United’s Chris Smalling?

Marcos Rojo in action during the Premier League match between Sunderland and Manchester United at Stadium of Light on April 9, 2017 in Sunderland, England.

Manchester United have been boosted by defender Marcos Rojo returning to action.

The Argentine international made his comeback from a serious knee injury in an under-23 game against Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday evening, playing for 45 minutes.

Rojo was impressing under Jose Mourinho before getting injured, and will soon be competing for a first team spot.

This is bad news for teammate Chris Smalling, who has struggled for game time this season.

Ashley Young of Manchester United, Eric Bailly of Manchester United, Daley Blind of Manchester United and Chris Smalling of Manchester United all take selfie photographs with the trophy...

Smalling has started only five of 11 Premier League matches, being selected only when Eric Bailly is unavailable.

Only on the fringes of England’s World Cup squad, Smalling may be pushed to consider a January transfer, and former boss David Moyes should be on high alert.

Moyes has recently taken over at West Ham, who are keen on signing a new defender, with The Mirror reporting Brighton’s Lewis Dunk is a target.

But Smalling was on West Ham’s radar in the summer, with The Telegraph reporting they were keen back in June.

Manchester United's Scottish manager David Moyes (L) throws the ball to Manchester United's English defender Chris Smalling (R) during the English Premier League football match between...

Victor Lindelof’s struggle to adapt at Old Trafford has given Smalling a bigger role than expected this season, but even now he is only a back-up.

£16 million defender Marcos Rojo’s return threatens to put him even further down the pecking order when he can least afford it from an international perspective, and West Ham may not get a better chance of bringing him in.

Moyes is their ace in the pack to pull it off.