Manchester United star Raphael Varane is proving Erik ten Hag wrong and showed that he should be undroppable, but the Frenchman is set to cause a major issue for the Glazer family. Varane was back to his best during United’s draw with Liverpool on Sunday.
Ten Hag’s decision to leave the defender on the bench for the last three months was made to look even stranger at Anfield. Varane remains United’s best centre-back and played a key role in limiting in-form Liverpool.
The 30-year-old had not started a Premier League match since September 30, a 1-0 defeat by Crystal Palace in which he was not to blame for a sorry performance. Ten Hag dropped the former Real Madrid man from the starting 11 for October’s Manchester derby and he has scarcely been seen since.
Against Liverpool, Varane made two blocks, two interceptions, won four aerial duels, and cleared the ball 15 times. His pass success rate of 80 per-cent was only bettered among his team-mates by Kobbie Mainoo and Rasmus Hojlund – although the young duo attempted far fewer than his 35 passes.
Varane had only returned to the team as the result of a terrible injury crisis. Lisandro Martinez and Harry Maguire remain unavailable. There are not many United fans who would have happily bet at the start of the season on the veteran Jonny Evans starting at Anfield.
But Varane’s performance proved he was not there to make any excuses. It did not matter to him that he was starting alongside Evans for the first time, nor that it was against the Premier League’s most potent attack. Varane simply cannot be dropped, especially with many of his team-mates struggling for form.
That, though, will cause a major issue for those within the United hierarchy. There was simply an acceptance that Ten Hag had made up his mind about Varane and that the player was set to either be sold in January, or leave when his contract expires next summer.
