Marcos Rojo, an Argentinian national, has been granted a UK work permit that has allowed him to play his sport at a professional level in England.
The 24-year-old was purchased by Manchester United from Sporting Lisbon for £16 million last month, but he has so far been ineligible to play in any games, including the matches agains Burnley, MK Dons and Sunderland as he had not yet been allocated a UK work permit.
While the permit was being processed the player was forced to leave the UK and went to the British Embassy in Madrid until it was confirmed that he could work in Britain. Now, however, Rojo will be able to play in the team's weekend match against Queens Park Rangers after the Border Agency confirmed that he meets the criteria for UK work permit “by virtue of having played in more than 75 per cent of Argentina's competitive internationals over the last two years”.
Rojo is a left-sided defender and played a key role in Argentina's World Cup performances in Brazil 2014. Although he naturally falls in to a left-back position, he has also performed well as a left centre back and a wing player.
While he looks set to bring a variety of skills to the United team, his £16 million price is still a steep one, especially given that in July 2012 he moved to Lisbon for just £3.5 million.