The Manchester United defender Marcos Rojo has caused anger by posting a picture of the late Colombian drug baron Pablo Escobar on his Instagram page.

Rojo, an Argentinian, published the picture on Saturday with a quote from Escobar underneath.

“Only those who went hungry with me and stood by me when I went through a bad time at some point in life will eat at my table,” the quote read. The post sparked fury among some people on the social media website.

Marcos Rojo has caused anger with an Instagram post that featured Pablo Escobar. Photograph: /Instagram

Escobar was the head of the Medellin cartel which was responsible for thousands of deaths in Colombia in the 1980s and 1990s. His cocaine-trafficking campaign came to an end in 1993 when he was shot dead by Colombian police.

Manchester United refused to comment on the matter.