Marcos Rojo is now into his sixth season at Manchester United after his £16 million (BBC) arrival in 2014.
He has played as a centre half in both a back four and a back five as well as at left back.
But he has now spoken about where he feels most comfortable, having come in from the cold to impress against Liverpool earlier this month.
So has the Argentine – who has never nailed down a starting spot at Old Trafford – finally found his best position?
Rojo expresses his preference
Speaking to United’s official website about whether he feels most comfortable playing in a three or four at the back, Rojo said: “I’ve played in both systems many times throughout my career.
“I feel more protected with three centre-backs in there, covering attacks from the other team, you’re always a bit more organised and, as I always say, the full-backs can attack much more freely and push right on.
“You have more players in attack whilst having cover at the back. I think that’s the difference when you play with three centre-backs.”
As Rojo has struggled to establish himself as either a centre half or a left back, a hybrid of the two roles on the left of a back three appears to be where he is most comfortable.
Rojo was likely signed for a back three
Rojo was signed in the first summer the club was managed by Louis van Gaal, who came to Old Trafford on the back of a successful World Cup with the Netherlands using a back three.
Despite having used a 4-3-3 for much of his career, van Gaal initially tried to bring the 3-5-2 he deployed in the summer of 2014 in Brazil.
To that end, Rojo was brought in as a left-footed centre half capable of playing in a back three but the experiment was swiftly scrapped after a slow start.
The opportunity for Rojo to reprise that role has scarcely arrived but Solskjaer has played a three at the back on more than one occasion now.
Perhaps, over five years after his arrival, Rojo has finally found his best role as a centre half comfortable moving wide and allowing a full back to push on.
His aggressive approach tends to leave space in behind but having two fellow centre halves there can mitigate that risk.
It’s unlikely that Rojo will oust Harry Maguire or Victor Lindelof as first choice, but if Solskjaer is looking for a third man to round off a back three on occasion, that role could play right into Rojo’s hands.
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