Manchester United have signed a few players from Real Madrid in recent years and continue to be linked with more as they just can’t return to the top of English football since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013. It has been more than a decade now. Every time it looks like the club are on the right path, they take several steps back.
Raphael Varane is someone Manchester United signed from Real Madrid, back in the summer of 2021. It was expected to take the club to the next level. A proven winner at all levels.
That has not happened. Instead, Varane has had somewhat of an average time at Manchester United compared to his own high standards. And at the moment, he does not even seem to be a starter.
Varane has been frequently left on the bench recently. Even Jonny Evans seems to have moved ahead of him in Erik ten Hag’s pecking order. Naturally, there has been speculation over the future of the French World Cup winner.
As reported by the Mirror, Varane had said while speaking to the French edition of GQ Magazine earlier this year:
“I will finish my career either in Madrid, or in Manchester, or in Lens. I will not move to another club [other than those].
“But Madrid seems complicated to me. Players don’t usually go back there. The most likely outcome today is that I will finish [my club career] in either Manchester or Lens.”
Thus, Varane seems open to the idea of a return to Real Madrid, even though he recognises that it would be complicated. On the other hand, Ten Hag said while talking about his decision to leave out the Frenchman:
“As I said, it is about tactical reasons why I chose these partnerships.
“I think Harry and Jonny did well.
“What I said last year, Harry didn’t play a lot, so I was very happy with Rapha’s performances. I have always been happy with his performance. But in this moment, Harry is playing very well and there is internal competition.
“There are moments in certain games where they (Maguire and Varane) can play together and they have already proven they can do it. But the build-up is not that fluid when one of them is playing from the left centre-back position.”
A player of Varane’s calibre would surely not be happy about having to sit on the bench. If things do not improve soon, the possibility of him leaving Manchester United will start to look very real.
That being said, a return to Real Madrid does not feel likely at this moment. He is 30 years of age and that is just not the profile of player that the club have tried to sign in recent times unless available as a free agent.
