Is It Time For Manchester United To Sell Raphael Varane?

Time moves quickly regardless, but in football, a span of a week can feel like a year, which can cultivate every positive and negative emotion from a fan.

Raphael Varane, who joined Manchester United when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was in charge in 2021 for £35 million, has had a very mixed two years with the club.

When fit, there are few centre halves in the Premier
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League better than Varane, once he’s up to speed and at full match fitness. His aerial prowess and experience are a luxury to have for Manchester United, as well as being of the old school ilk who defend first and focus on their sole job.

But, on the other side, Varane is incredibly inconsistent with his availability. Through injury, across the two years, the former France international has missed 38 games for both club and country.

Consistently picking up niggles that then extend into a month out of action here and another month there, it has been hard for current boss Erik Ten Hag to build a defence around Varane due to his absence on a regular basis.

The 30 year old, who turns 31 next April, was reportedly disappointed with Ten Hag’s comments after the Manchester derby, in which the German manager responded to a report who questioned Varane’s omission:

“Tactics. I decided for [Jonny] Evans as starter and Varane benched for tactics, yes. Exactly.”

It was a frank response back but painted a picture of where Ten Hag currently rates Varane in his quintet of centre backs. Evans, who was signed on a free transfer after impressing during pre-season, has found himself in the team perhaps more than most had expected.

It has been reported that Varane’s relationship with Ten Hag has completely broken down, with cutting words being said back and forth. The bottom line is that Varane now, potentially, faces more time out on the sidelines with the re-emergence of Harry Maguire.

The England international has found his form once again after 18 months on the back foot, and has occupied the right-side of central defence. Ten Hag has consistently mentioned how he prefers the Englishman on the right, which therefore places Varane on the bench until further notice.

It is likely to be a partnership consisting of Maguire and Lindelöf moving forward, given the injuries to Lisandro Martinez and Evans, with Varane having to fight to take back his place in the games before the end of the year.

There has been speculation over Varane’s departure, with the most likely destination coming in Saudi Arabia. Along with Jadon Sancho who looks set to exit Old Trafford either in January or the summer, it does appear that Manchester United are preparing to move Varane on.

The Red Devils are currently scouring the market for suitable replacements, with Jean-Clair Todibo being the favourite from OGC Nice
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.

Manchester United fans know that Varane is an excellent centre back when on the pitch and has been one of the club’s leaders since arriving, but they are also pragmatic enough to know that his best years are coming to a sharp end with treatment on the injury table becoming a more regular occurrence.

If the Red Devils can recoup the £35 million spent, plus shifting the £300,000 per week wages, it might just be the best course of action for the long term.