Erik ten Hag has quashed rumours, suggesting that he and Raphael Varane have had a disagreement.
Manchester United’s form has definitely been up and down this season. A large reason behind that could be the constant changing of the line-ups due to injury. A lack of consistency absolutely hasn’t helped the players find their flow, rhythm and connection.
Erik ten Hag has also made some bold decisions in regard to dropping top performers from last season. Raphael Varane sits atop that list, with Jonny Evans preferred over the last month or so.
If I were the Frenchman, a multi-time Champions League winner and World Cup winner, I’d be super frustrated. At the end of the day, he has played at the highest level for many years and it would hurt to be dropped for an ageing ex-Leicester City man. No offence, Jonny.
Rumours suggesting that Rapha was unhappy made sense to me. At the end of the day, he’s a born winner and it would have been super tough for him to take.
Well, Ten Hag was asked directly about an apparent fallout or disagreement between the pair and he’d rubbish those stories, claiming that he is unaware of any spat between the player and manager.
When asked about reports suggesting Ten Hag has a disagreement with Varane, the gaffer said:
“Rapha Varane, I do not know what you are talking about. It is rumours. He is a very important player, but there is internal competition. That should be [like that] in a top club like we are. The competition and when you have to decide between two players who are brilliant, Raphael Varane and Harry Maguire, you also have to make a choice for that decision.” Ten Hag told club media.
Ten Hag has always preferred to go with one right and left footer in the centre-back positions and it is pretty tough to drop Harry Maguire right now. The Englishman is performing at an incredibly high level and he does deserve all the praise that’s coming his way. So technically, Varane is fighting with Maguire for a spot in the squad, rather than Evans.
When you watched Varane’s cameo against Galatasaray in the Champions League, it does shed some light on why the ex-Real Madrid man has not been playing. To put it kindly, he was not great whatsoever. Whether that’s a lack of confidence due to the fact he’s not been playing, or purely because his talents are starting to diminish, remains to be seen…
I do believe that United have a massive decision to make here. This coming January (and following summer) is probably the last chance the Old Trafford club could get a decent transfer fee back for Varane. Is it worth cashing in at this point in time? Possibly…
Do you think Raphael Varane will rediscover his best form? Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below.
