Next August 14 will be one year since Manchester United announced the signing of Raphaël Varane. In his first season, the performance of the French central defender was unexpected due to the muscle injuries he sustained. The overall level of the team did not follow either, despite the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo in the squad, and they did not qualify for the Champions League. Despite everything, Varane does not regret leaving Real Madrid.
“No, absolutely not,” Cristiano Ronaldo said in an interview with the BBC. “In football you have to face challenges and try to improve. I wanted to have another experience after 10 years in the same place,” argues Varane at 29. “The Premier League is absolutely fantastic and Manchester United is a great club. There is no question in my decision.”
United ended last season without a title and finished sixth in the Premier League, 35 points behind champions and arch-rivals Manchester City, but with Erik ten Hag on the bench, Varane saw reason to with optimism. “It’s a new season. A new beginning,” considered the French central defender. “Confidence is important and we lose it when we lose some games. But I think we have a lot of potential.”
“A Good Beginning with Ten Hags”
“The new coach is very positive. He wants this energy and to press high on the pitch, with more space behind us. Maybe he will be more attacking, but this is the football we really enjoy, so it was a good start,” Varane said after United had won all three of their pre-season games against Liverpool (4-0), Melbourne Victory (1-4) and Crystal Palace (3- 1).
The arrival of Lisandro Martínez from Ajax could take minutes away from Varane as Ten Hag rely on questionable captain Harry Maguire in the center of defence. But the Frenchman does not see the situation in the same way and trusts his chances.
“The arrival of Lisandro? The competition is good”
“Competition is good for the team. The team will always be better in this competition. All big clubs are like that. If everyone wants to fight for the team, that is a good thing”, highlights Varane and, about in Maguir, making sure that “Harry he’s a very important player for us. He’s the captain and obviously he has a lot of good qualities.”
Finally, Varane gave his opinion on Cristiano’s situation, where he won all the titles in the seven years they shared a dressing room at Real Madrid, but his continuation at United is a year up in the air after his return to Old Trafford before. his desire to continue playing Champions at 37 years old.
Criticizing Cristiano is “outside the locker room”
Varane does not share the opinion of those who consider Cristiano Ronaldo’s inability to touch to be one of the main reasons for United’s problems last season, so his departure would be beneficial for to the team.
“That debate is outside the locker room,” Varane said. “We know his quality. And we know he’s very popular. So we know a lot of people will talk about the team’s performance and his performance.” And sentence: “Cristiano is a great competitor. He is a legend and always helps the team, so obviously it is very good to play with him.”
Source: La Verdad
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
