Raphael Varane will not feature for Manchester United for the next few weeks having been sidelined with a fresh muscle injury. The World Cup winner has struggled with injuries this season which has left the manager lacking options at centre-back. It has created yet another injury crisis in defence.
There was a brief period earlier this season when Erik ten Hag favoured alternative options at the heart of defence because Varane, 30, has begun to slow down and isn’t the player he was during his prime at Real Madrid. The writing was on the wall for the Frenchman.
Varane arrived at Old Trafford in the summer of 2021 from Real Madrid but has endured plenty of injury problems since his arrival three years ago. His latest knock is proof that United cannot be so reliant on a player who is rarely available, hence why Madrid cashed in on him years ago.
While United have not made a definitive decision on whether to offer Varane a new deal, surely they need to reevaluate all of their options across defence. What good are players if they’re rarely available for selection and miss key moments of the season?
In a statement issued on Thursday, Manchester United provided an update on Varane and Jonny Evans, with both defenders set to miss Saturday’s trip to Bournemouth. It reads: “Manchester United defender Raphael Varane will be out for the next few weeks with a muscle injury sustained during our game against Chelsea last week.
“The French World Cup winner is aiming to be back in action before the end of the season in May.”
The news regarding Varane comes at a time when his future remains up in the air. That is why I believe we are closing in on the Frenchman’s final season at Old Trafford, and potentially his final campaign in Europe if he decides to take the cash in Saudi Arabia.
Varane’s latest setback marks his sixth separate lay-off through injury or illness this season. He will miss the FA Cup semi-final against Coventry City as a result.
Stretty News understands Varane has received offers to move to the Middle East. Furthermore, his contract expires in the summer and United do not plan to give him a new deal, especially on his current salary which is a rumoured £340,000 per-week.
Perhaps a return to France could be on the cards for Varane, if he is willing to take a pay cut.
“I will finish my career either in Madrid, or in Manchester, or in Lens,” Varane said last March, as quoted by The Mirror. “I will not move to another club [other than those]. But Madrid seems complicated to me. Players don’t usually go back there. The most likely outcome today is that I will finish [my career] in either Manchester or Lens.”
United centre-backs Varane, Evans, Lisandro Martinez and Victor Lindelof are all unavailable for the remainder of the club’s April schedule. The manager is expected to call upon Harry Maguire and Willy Kambwala to continue as a duo following last week’s 2-2 draw with title-chasing Liverpool.
Ten Hag’s side, sixth in the table, have been ravaged by injuries to key defenders all season. On top of those already mentioned, Tyrell Malacia has not featured since undergoing knee injury last year and is not expected to return before the end of the season.
The Reds have seven games of the campaign remaining and face a battle to qualify for Europe, with our hopes of Champions League qualification quickly diminishing.
Varane won the Champions League four times during his time at Madrid, but his days in the competition are over unless he signs for a club that will be competing in Europe’s biggest tournament next season.
Last season he was often a Rolls Royce alongside Martinez in the heart of United’s defence. However, a year on from then, and I think we would be best to move him on before signing a younger centre-back with the ability to play at the very top.
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