Raphaël Varane plays little at Manchester United because he is simply less fit than Harry Maguire.
Raphaël Varane retired internationally at the end of the 2022 World Cup, because he felt he was having difficulty combining the France team and Manchester United. But the least we can say is that this decision does not allow him to perform very well with his club since the start of the season.
Varane formed with Lisandro Martinez the starting central hinge of the Red Devils last season. Injured in September, the Frenchman has not found his place since, because Eril Ten Hag keeps returning veteran Jonny Evans and fallen former captain Harry Maguire in the eleven. A purely sporting choice.
“Is there a problem with Varane? Absolutely not, replied the Dutch coach. As I said, it is for tactical reasons that I chose these partnerships. I think Harry (Maguire) and Jonny (Evans) played well. Last year Harry didn’t play much, because I was very happy with Rapha’s performance. I was always happy with his performance. But at the moment Harry is playing very well and there is internal competition. »
It is therefore a pure and simple downgrade for Varane, who made a very delicate entry this week into the Champions League in Copenhagen (4-3 defeat), when Evans was injured. The former Leicester player is out of the match against Luton this Saturday, and with Martinez still on the flank, Varane should have his chance as a starter. Be careful not to spoil it…
