Marcos Rojo has recently revealed that he has been told by Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer that he has a future at Old Trafford next season.

The Argentine, who has made just 18 appearances over the past two years, says he has been assured of first-team action if he can prove his fitness:

“[Solskjaer] said that I was in his plans, that I’m an important player and that he wanted me to return to full fitness, to be able to count on me in the first team.”

On top of that, another report out today suggests Eric Bailly will also be given another chance by Solskjaer. The Ivorian is recovering from a knee injury so it is understandable that the club would support his rehabilitation.

However, I think we have seen enough of both him and Rojo over the last few years to determine they are not of sufficient quality to improve the club’s defensive record.

Currently, the club have five centre-backs along with Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Victor Lindelof, and most supporters would probably agree that out of all of them, only the Swedish defender has the potential to play at the level required for United.

With that being said, it’s unrealistic for the club to sell four centre-backs over just one summer, even if many fans would like the club to do just that. Still, you would hope at least two would go in order to make room for some new recruits.

You could make a good case for selling Smalling and Jones considering they both had significant roles in the club conceding 54 goals in the league last campaign, but that isn’t going to happen.

Jones signed a new contract back in February, which demonstrates both Solskjaer and the club’s keenness to keep him. Smalling signed his in December, and while that happened just before Mourinho’s sacking, the 29-year-old was a regular after recovering from a foot injury in the second half of the season.

So, it is all the more surprising that Rojo and Bailly could possibly stay put. They are the fourth and fifth choice defenders in the squad, and it is concerning that the club would seemingly be happy for them to stay, rather than make the required improvements in an area that badly needs addressing.

The pursuit of Matthijs de Ligt is promising, but there’s no guarantee United will pull off the signing. With reports that the club have cooled their interest in Kalidou Koulibaly and Harry Maguire, does the club go into next season with the same five centre-backs that have failed to mount a credible title challenge in recent years? Let’s hope not.