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Marcos Rojo has set a target of returning to first-team action for Manchester United ’s Champions League fixture with CSKA Moscow at Old Trafford next month.
The 27-year-old has been out injured since suffering knee ligament damage in April after picking up the horrific injury in the same game as teammate Zlatan Ibrahimovic suffered a similar fate.
However, Rojo has been back in training with the first team as he edges closer to full fitness and he is eyeing the final round of Champions League fixtures, with United only needing one point from their last two games to ensure qualification.
Show all 23 1 /23Chelsea vs Manchester United: Player ratings Chelsea vs Manchester United: Player ratings Chelsea vs Manchester United: Player ratings We run the rule over the two teams at Stamford Bridge.
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Chelsea vs Manchester United: Player ratings Thibaut Courtois - 7 out of 10 Wasn’t overly tested but denied Lukaku in the first half and Fellaini at the death.
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Chelsea vs Manchester United: Player ratings Cesar Azpilicueta - 8 Got the assist for Morata’s goal with a magnificent cross.
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Chelsea vs Manchester United: Player ratings Andreas Christensen - 7 Repaid his manager’s faith in him after Antonio Conte named him in the starting XI ahead of David Luiz.
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Chelsea vs Manchester United: Player ratings Gary Cahill - 7 Marshalled Lukaku and Rashford well alongside Azpilicueta and Christensen
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Chelsea vs Manchester United: Player ratings N'Golo Kante - 7 Chelsea have missed his energy dearly. This was a solid comeback performance.
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Chelsea vs Manchester United: Player ratings Davide Zappacosta - 6 Solid down the right but was replaced by Antonio Rudiger when United made a couple of attacking changes.
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Chelsea vs Manchester United: Player ratings Cesc Fabregas - 9 The best player on the pitch by a country mile. Controlled the game and, as always, his passing was magnificent.
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Chelsea vs Manchester United: Player ratings Tiemoue Bakayoko - 8 Magnificent in the heart of midfield but lacked quality when he strayed into more advanced areas.
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Chelsea vs Manchester United: Player ratings Marcos Alonso - 7 Showed close to the form he was in last season as he got up and down the left wing all game.
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Chelsea vs Manchester United: Player ratings Alvaro Morata - 8 Planted a sumptuous header beyond De Gea to give Chelsea the lead.
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Chelsea vs Manchester United: Player ratings Eden Hazard - 8 Always seems to turn it on when it matters. Stung De Gea’s palms with a fierce first-half drive and, as we’ve come to expect, was one of Chelsea’s most dangerous players.
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Chelsea vs Manchester United: Player ratings David De Gea - 7 Made a few good saves to keep United in it but could do nothing about Morata’s winning goal.
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Chelsea vs Manchester United: Player ratings Eric Bailly - 6 An erratic performance by a player who usually defends so well for United.
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Chelsea vs Manchester United: Player ratings Chris Smalling - 7 Probably United’s best player on the day after being left out of Gareth Southgate’s England squad.
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Chelsea vs Manchester United: Player ratings Phil Jones - 5 Put the ball into his own net early on only to be bailed out by the referee, who deemed Morata to have fouled him.
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Chelsea vs Manchester United: Player ratings Antonio Valencia - 6 Solid at the back but looked to be struggling with injury towards the end of the match.
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Chelsea vs Manchester United: Player ratings Ander Herrera - 5 Combative but lacks the creativity that the injured Paul Pogba possesses. Was part of a United midfield that just couldn’t link defence and attack.
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Chelsea vs Manchester United: Player ratings Nemanja Matic - 6 One of United’s better performers on the day but was outshone by Tiemoue Bakayoko, the man who replaced him at Stamford Bridge in the summer.
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Chelsea vs Manchester United: Player ratings Ashley Young - 5 Should’ve claimed an assist for the game’s opening goal but Rashford headed his cross over the bar. Quiet otherwise.
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Chelsea vs Manchester United: Player ratings Henrikh Mkhitaryan - 3 The game passed him by. He’s in poor form at the moment after a superb start to the season.
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Chelsea vs Manchester United: Player ratings Romelu Lukaku - 6 Delivered an energetic performance against his former employers and was denied the game’s opening goal by a good Thibaut Courtois save. Faded after the break.
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Chelsea vs Manchester United: Player ratings Marcus Rashford - 5 Had a superb headed opportunity in the first half but appeared to back out slightly with Courtois charging towards him and ended up missing the target.
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“Tomorrow (Wednesday) I am going to play with the reserves in a friendly match,” Rojo told TyC Sports. “I feel good. Up until now, I have not had any problems but training is not the same as a match.
“In three weeks we have a Champions League game and if all goes well tomorrow, I could play in that.”
While Phil Jones and Eric Bailly have been Jose Mourinho ’s centre-back pairing so far this season, with Chris Smalling acting as deputy and Victor Lindelof also in the mix, Rojo is targeting a regular starting place – even if it comes at left-back where United have been chopping and changing so far this season.
“I have to win my place back in the team so that (Argentina ) coach Jorge Sampaoli considers me for the World Cup ,” Rojo added.
“I have been out a while but I am determined to get back into the national team. I want to show Sampaoli how good I am.”
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