Marcos Rojo refuses to train at Racing Club to force boyhood move to Estudiantes

Marcos Rojo is locked in an open dispute with Racing Club after the 36-year-old former Manchester United defender stopped attending training in an attempt to force a move back to Estudiantes, the club where he began his career in Argentina.

Rojo joined Racing in August 2025 following four years as captain at Boca Juniors, but his time at the club has soured rapidly. With Racing eliminated from the Copa Argentina and their title challenge fading, tensions between the centre-back and club officials have escalated. Rojo held direct talks on Tuesday with Racing chairman and former Inter Milan striker Diego Milito, repeatedly stating his desire to leave. The conversation turned heated, neither side moved, and Rojo subsequently refused to report for training.

Estudiantes — chaired by another former United player, Juan Sebastián Verón — have reached out to Rojo as they face a defensive crisis ahead of a Copa Libertadores semi-final against Flamengo on 15 October. Two key centre-backs are suspended for the match, and CONMEBOL’s squad registration rules would allow Rojo to join and be eligible to play.

Rojo’s connection to Estudiantes runs deep. He launched his career there, winning the Copa Libertadores in 2009 and the Primera División in 2010, before moving to Sporting CP and then to Old Trafford. Louis van Gaal signed him for £16 million in August 2014, and despite persistent injuries across six and a half years at United, Rojo made 122 appearances — 76 in the Premier League — and collected an FA Cup winners’ medal in 2016 as well as a League Cup and Europa League double the following season. He also had a brief loan spell back at Estudiantes in 2020.

Racing have not terminated his contract, which expires at the end of 2025. His salary is reportedly modest and tied to a productivity clause that reduces his pay when he misses matches — a financial structure that limits the club’s immediate leverage.

Rojo’s turbulent reputation has followed him into this season. In April he received a four-match ban for insulting a referee after being sent off for striking an opponent during a defeat to River Plate. Speaking to ESPN, he said: “I feel it. I don’t want to play the victim and say everyone is against me. But that’s the reality.”

Whether Racing relent or hold firm on a player contracted until December, the standoff leaves both club and player in an increasingly uncomfortable position with the Copa Libertadores semi-final deadline fast approaching.