Raphael Varane advanced with Lens and made a name for himself. Soon after, he moved to Real Madrid quite soon. After 10 successful years with Los Blancos with four Champions League titles, he joined Manchester United in the summer of 2021 for a fee of around £41 million, earning a salary of £340,000 a week.
However, things have not gone according to the 30-year-old’s plan since arriving at Old Trafford. Despite leaving the national team to focus entirely on Man Utd, he had to sit out a lot due to many injuries. That makes Man Utd fans disappointed.
When he returned, Varane also did not play well. Typically in Man Utd’s 3-4 loss to Copenhagen, the French midfielder did not play well with Harry Maguire. Therefore, many sources revealed that Man Utd plans to sell Varane outright in January 2024.
More importantly, the fact that Man Utd has been playing better over time shows that Varane is no longer the top choice as a centre-back. Coach Erik ten Hag confirmed that Varane was eliminated because of his tactical impression, in which he prioritized Maguire as a right-sided centre-back.
For two consecutive matches, Victor Lindelof was prioritized to pair with Maguire, partly because he is said to be better left-footed. In both of these matches, Lindelof shined. In the context of Lisandro Martinez’s imminent return, Varane’s position is even lower.
It’s easy to see that Varane is no longer as energetic as before. Due to frequent injuries, Varane gradually played football with a more moderate attitude. In other words, the former Real Madrid star is cautious about his body. He is no longer eager to push forward and sometimes, space opens up between the back line and the midfield.
The fact that a top-class midfielder had to sit on the bench created many mixed opinions. Varane personally was also not satisfied. According to Telegraph, Varane had a conflict with the Dutch military leader.
However, Ten Hag is showing that his choice is well-founded. Varane is also quite cautious in holding the ball. The weakness in Varane’s ability to manage puts Man Utd’s defense in an even more dangerous position during the period when Casemiro’s form is in decline.
Varane’s defense is still okay, but modern football today requires more than that. Instead of distributing and moving the ball forward (typically Lindelof’s long flick that opened up Alejandro Garnacho’s masterpiece against Everton), Varane often makes horizontal passes, thereby creating certain risks. .
Obviously, Man Utd’s way of deploying the ball had problems when Varane appeared from the beginning. Varane personally still does not give up and is determined to return to the main team in the near future. However, he must make changes when given the opportunity. Otherwise, Varane will likely have to leave Old Trafford.