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Where does Raphael Varane fit in at Manchester United?
National World - LocalTV
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14/11/2023
A look at the centre back situation at Manchester United.
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Sports
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00:00
And look at the centre-back options and the events occurring with
00:05
Chen Haag and Rafael Varane for example, what's the sort of story you can tell us
00:09
there because there seems to be some confusion on who plays and
00:15
whether this Champions League winner, World Cup winner Rafael Varane, what his
00:19
role is now in his team?
00:21
I mean I think there's an argument to say that Rafael Varane, as you just said, a
00:25
World Cup winner, a four-time Champions League winner, former Real Madrid player,
00:30
played so well last season and formed such a kind of formidable centre-back
00:33
partnership with Lissandro Martinez but I think there's an argument to say he is
00:36
now fifth choice centre-back at Manchester United which is incredible
00:40
really and it's been such a quick turnaround for him and you know it's
00:46
not, I doubt it's sat particularly well with a player like Varane to be honest
00:50
with you who has just always experienced such highs in his career but look as I
00:54
say Varane came into this season first choice centre-back alongside Martinez
00:58
that was certainly the first choice partnership. Martinez has been injured,
01:00
Varane's performances have notably dropped with him not in the team and
01:05
we've got the case where in the last couple of weeks he's played Maguire and
01:09
Evans almost as the first choice centre-back which I mean we consider at
01:13
the start of the season they were fourth and fifth choice options at the back it's
01:16
remarkable how quickly this turned around. Chen Haag said after the Man City
01:20
game that he left Varane on the bench for tactical reasons. I think we all
01:24
disputed that we all kind of thought you know I didn't totally believe him if I'm
01:27
honest and he's obviously had a lot of injuries for Varane but he was asked
01:32
about it in Friday's press conference ahead of the Luton game and he gave
01:35
quite a firm answer to say that the reasons that Varane has not been
01:39
in the team are tactical. He said that basically the build-up play is better
01:43
with, he prefers someone on the right someone on the left of centre-back right
01:47
footer and a left footer for the build-up play. Well Martinez is the only left
01:51
footed centre-back he's out so they've got to play someone on the right Harry
01:54
Maguire to be fair to him has played really well recently and is
01:57
justifiably I think at the moment getting selected above Varane so he's in
02:01
the right slot and he doesn't feel that Varane is particularly comfortable on
02:04
the left he actually said the same about Maguire so the option is Johnny Evans or
02:08
Viktor Lindelof and he basically seemed to say that Evans is slightly better
02:12
suited that on his left foot. It's a bit of a strange thing really for me
02:15
personally I would be just slightly adapting something I mean Chen Haag
02:19
knows tactics much better than me but I'm surprised he's not slightly adapting
02:21
something and changing the system that he can get two right-footed centre-backs
02:25
in who can defend you know better than Evans and Lindelof but yeah very
02:29
strange one and you know he then there was this report basically on Friday that
02:34
they've had a bit of a fallout he then Varane wasn't selected Evans was injured
02:38
against Luton Lindelof came into the team you know it's a really interesting
02:42
issue really I think one that's gonna drag on listen I think the way things
02:47
are going I would be surprised if Raphael Varane is still a Manchester United
02:51
player this time in a year I think there's gonna you know it just can't
02:54
keep continuing like this for a player of Varane's kind of pedigree and for
02:58
what he's achieved in his career he's not gonna be happy just sitting on the
03:01
bench at United but yeah it's a really interesting turn of events regarding the
03:04
centre-backs at United
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