How Raphael varane the Rolls Royce Defender is being treated by Ten Hag



When Raphael Varane is replaced against Bayern, he exits the field.

When one’s initial expectations were so low, it’s difficult to feel let down. Last night’s loss sent Manchester United out of the Champions League, but they had already lost confidence weeks prior after suffering more crushing setbacks.

United has already lost 12 games this season, which is equal to the number of losses they had during the entire championship campaign the previous year. This weekend’s trip to play Liverpool could make matters worse.

Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw’s near-fatal injuries last night have further dashed hopes, as United may be forced to travel to Anfield without their two best defenders of the year.

United have now lost 12 matches this season—as many as they did throughout the entirety of last season’s bumper campaign—and it could get even worse with a trip to face Liverpool this weekend.

Those hopes are further dampened by injury scares for Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw last night, with United staring at the possibility of going to Anfield without their two best defenders of the campaign.

Erik ten Hag will likely need to rely on a second-string defence on Sunday afternoon, but if there was one silver lining from the defeat to Bayern, it is that Raphael Varane played rather well.

The French defender had been recalled to the starting XI for the first time in 11 games and his experience and expertise helped keep Bayern at bay.

Varane is undoubtedly one of the finest centre-backs on his day, but recently he has had to make do for a place on the bench due to tactical reasons, or so we are led to believe.

Ten Hag previously insisted Varane wasn’t getting regular game time because he was much better suited to playing on the right, a role occupied by the rejuvenated Maguire. Fair enough, the England international has been in fantastic form and thoroughly deserves his place in the team. Yet it still doesn’t add up.

Varane might have a preference to play on the right, but that doesn’t mean he is useless on the left side of the defence. Victor Lindelof, Jonny Evans and Luke Shaw have all played there ahead of him, which just doesn’t sit right for a World Cup winner.

It is even less of an excuse after what happened last night. Whether the manager finally saw sense or not, Varane started the game at left centre-back and was impressive throughout.

More bizarrely, he remained in that role when Evans was brought on to replace Maguire, meaning that Ten Hag was playing two defenders in the opposite roles from where he previously suggested they were at their respective best.

Even if you do take Ten Hag’s tactical reasoning at face value, it was undermined by his selection last night and further muddied by how he handled the in-game decisions as well.

There would be more leniency if Varane’s absence was simply due to the fact that he can’t be relied upon on a regular basis, particularly at a time when Ten Hag is desperate for consistency in his backline.

This season alone, Varane has missed games due to a lack of full fitness, illness, and now a sore back. His absence from the squad to face Chelsea last week made it the 40th time out of 134 matchday squads he has been unavailable.

Although an immediate departure now seems less likely in light of the most recent blows to the defense, the Manchester Evening News stated at the beginning of the week that United will consider offers for Varane next month.

Given that Maguire may miss some time due to injury, Varane may be due for an unexpected run in the starting lineup. It will be interesting to see if and where the French defender is used.

‘Tactical reasons’ kept him absent. He has no more excuses not to begin this weekend.