Marcos Rojo declares himself '100%' fit amid concerns over Chris Smalling and Phil Jones' form

Marcos Rojo has handed Jose Mourinho a timely boost by declaring himself fully fit amid concerns about Manchester United's defence in recent games.

The Red Devils' defence has come under a lot of criticism following recent losses to Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United in the Premier League with both Chris Smalling and Phil Jones facing the axe for United's upcoming FA Cup clash against Huddersfield Town on Saturday (17 February).e

Rojo has been sparingly used by Mourinho since his return from a long-term injury, but he has impressed every time he was handed an opportunity. Moreover, in the last three games, where he has played, United have kept clean sheets and it looks almost certain that he is recalled for their game against The Terriers.

The Argentina international spent almost eight months on the sidelines with a knee injury, and the manager was unwilling to risk a recurrence by overusing him, but the defender is not eager to play on a regular basis. Rojo is confident that he is at a good 'physical level' and believes that regular minutes under his belt will help him get back to his best.

"I'm feeling 100 per cent and I'm happy with my previous performances," Rojo said, as quoted by the Mirror.

"They've been at a high level and I'm happy with my physical level, too. It's about getting minutes under my belt and continuing to play.

"It was great coming back after a difficult injury and there was a lot of hard work for me to do. There were difficult times during that period so, after being out of the team for six or seven months, it was an immense feeling to be back on the field," he explained.

Apart from Rojo, Mourinho also has the option of Victor Lindelof, who has been ignored in recent weeks. The Swede's last appearance was in the FA Cup against Yeovil Town and in the light of Smalling and Jones' performance, he is likely to partner Rojo at the weekend.

Ivorian centre-back Eric Bailly is also expected to return before the end of the month, which makes Smalling and Jones' continued presence in the team even more unlikely after their outings against Spurs and Newcastle.

The duo came under heavy criticism from former Red Devil Gary Neville, who believes the only reason United have the best defensive record in the league is due to David de Gea's heroics between the sticks.

"They have got the best defensive record because they have the best goalkeeper in the world in David De Gea and [Nemanja] Matic out in front who protects them really well," Neville said, as quoted by the Manchester Evening News.

"But the last two away games [against Tottenham and Newcastle], Smalling and Jones have been a disaster," he added. "Against Dele Alli and Harry Kane, they got bullied."