Rojo reveals all on blazing ‘big nose’ row with Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Jo Harrison
Jose Mourinho: Zlatan turmoil another problem he doesn't need

Manchester United defender Marcos Rojo said Jose Mourinho had to intervene after a huge dressing-room bust up with Zlatan Ibrahimovic threatened to get out of hand. 

The duo teamed up at Old Trafford for two seasons when the Swede moved from PSG to England in 2016.

But despite winning the League Cup and Europa League Cup double during their time together, not all went smoothly.

The major flashpoint came when Rojo called the striker ‘big nose’ in the first half of a match at Old Trafford.

The Argentine international recalled the incident to Infobae (via the Metro).

“He wanted all the balls, you see. We were winning 1-0 at Old Trafford. We had the ball.

“United were giving them a dance, I was playing central defender. I come out playing, I pass half the pitch.

‘There he pulls back. The pass between the lines was there. But there was Pogba alone on the left, so I gave it to him, and Paul began to showboat. Zlatan starts cursing me.

 

“I follow it. “Shut up, big nose. You want all the balls”. Arguing loudly. We finish the first half and go to the locker room. I’m in my place, taking off my boots.

“And he enters angrily, he kicks something. He stops, looks at me and yells at me: “What did you say to me?”

“So I also stop and say – ‘What did you say to me?’ – Although inside I was hoping someone would separate us, because he could have killed me.”

 

Mourinho intervention

Zlatan Pogba Mourinho

At that point, Mourinho decided it was time to intervene.

Rojo continued: “And the English, all big, separate us. Mourinho enters screaming, scrambling bottles. A mess in the locker room. Then it’s done, we win and go to the next round.

“The next day, early, I was having breakfast. I felt grabbed at the back of the neck, and I couldn’t turn. And he says – “What did you say to me?” – and he started laughing.

“Anyway, thank goodness the karate move was a joke: I was already done, I’d never get out of it.”

Rojo, now 30, was loaned to his boyhood club, Estudiantes, in January.

He’s made 122 appearances for United since moving there from Sporting Lisbon in 2014.

However, that tally includes just nine from last season, suggesting he’s not in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s plans.