Arguably one of the most erratic footballers to grace the Premier League in recent seasons, Manchester United’s Marcos Rojo made his long-awaited return to the field on Wednesday night.

The Argentine international had been side-lined since the end of April after suffering cruciate ligament damage but made his comeback just seven months later in the 1-0 defeat away at Swiss side FC Basel.

Despite the fact that a late Michael Lang goal subjected United to their first defeat of the Champions League group stage, delaying their potential progression to the knock-outs until the final round of fixtures when CSKA Moscow visit Old Trafford, it was good to see Rojo back out on a football pitch.

He certainly didn’t play like a man who had been out of action for seven months, slotting nicely into a makeshift back-four alongside Chris Smalling, Daley Blind and Matteo Darmian and earning plaudits for a customary solid defensive display.

The main man heaping the praise on the 27-year-old was United manager Jose Mourinho – who made it clear last season that Rojo is one of his squad favourites by sticking with him so regularly.

Reflecting after the match, the Portuguese tactician said: “I agree with you, I think he played very well.

“He controlled the first-half really easily, he didn’t have to be physically demanding and he controlled very well his game. So we are happy to have him and we need that. No [Phil] Jones, we need Marcos back to give us stability in numbers.”

It is yet another injury set-back for first-team regular Phil Jones that could open the door for Rojo to stamp his mark on the Premier League – perhaps even making his league return on Saturday.

With newly-promoted Brighton and Hove Albion coming to town it could be another opportunity to give Rojo some minutes in a match where the hosts shouldn’t be under too much pressure, and thoughts of the Argentine’s return to the league could make him an intriguing Draft Fantasy option.

Last season he was a regular feature in the Manchester United defence, helping his side to nine clean sheets in his 21 appearances and impressively ending up on the losing side just once all year.

He averaged nine defensive actions per game last season such was his impact at the back, and considering he made seven on Wednesday night at Basel he hasn’t lost the gritty aspect of his game.

There was one particularly exceptional recovery challenge against the Swiss side that would have made Manchester United fans look up in anticipation, sliding in to deny an almost certain goal.

Whilst there’s always the feeling that Rojo is a walking red card, the fact that he would be slotting into a United side that have already kept eight clean sheets in the league suggests that there’s always likely to be points on offer if he plays.

With Jones out injured for the short-term future, Eric Bailly struggling with frequent knocks and Chris Smalling still trying to work his way into Mourinho’s good books, all of the signs point to the Rojo featuring on Saturday afternoon against the Seagulls – and he could well warrant selection for your side.