The duo defended admirably at the heart of Manchester United’s defence as the Red Devils beat Wolves in the Premier League.
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Raphael Varane enjoyed a solid debut for Manchester United as his new club dished out a hard-fought 1-0 victory away to Wolves in the Premier League. He played an important role to keep the home side at bay during his first match for the club on Sunday. It was an effortless transition for the 28-year-old France World Cup winner. He adapted to his new surroundings quickly and even registered an assist for Mason Greenwood’s late winner at Molineux. Speaking about his first start, Varane told the club’s website, “A good feeling! I was very, very happy to be here and to help the team get this victory. The feeling is absolutely amazing.”
“The Premier League is very intense. The game it’s very fast and you know when you play this game, you are very concentrated and it’s very intense. I came here for that feeling. The atmosphere is fantastic, and the game is very fast. You have a lot of action during the game. You have to be focused and very concentrated because it never stops. It’s attack, attack, counter-attack and it’s very fast.”
The much-awaited partnership between Harry Maguire and Varane in defence finally happened on Sunday. The duo defended admirably at the heart of Manchester United’s defence as the Red Devils narrowly edged past Wolves in the Premier League. Talking about the partnership with Maguire, the French defender said, “Very good. He’s a good player. We had good communication, that’s very important, and the same spirit: to fight and to win the game.”
David De Gea produced a world-class double save in the second half as he kept the Red Devils in the game. Raphael Varane praised the goalkeeper, saying, “Amazing save, he’s a top goalkeeper and today he helped the team.”
Referring to the travelling United fans, the French defender was asked whether it was good to see them for the first time. He replied, “Yeah, very good. It was a good atmosphere, and they gave us good help during the game. When it’s hard, we need fans and we have very good support from our fans.”
Talking about his former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo coming back to United, Raphael Varane said, “I am very happy. He’s a legend and all players can learn when you play with him. It’s a great help for all players, for all young players, and of course he never stops scoring goals, so he will help the team.”
Meanwhile, Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has lauded the performance of Raphael Varane against Wolves. “This was ‘welcome to the Premier League’ – tempo, hustle bustle, tackle, have to defend counter attacks,” said Ole on Varane in his post-match press conference. “Top, top performance. He’s good in the air, he’s so composed on the ball and he’s so experienced and nothing phases him.”
“He was good in the dressing room before the game, half-time and so I’m delighted with his performance. I thought he showed his class.”
Meanwhile, United’s goalkeeper David De Gea, who was voted Man of the Match against Wolves, also spoke highly about his new teammate. “He was very good, we kept a clean sheet so it’s always very good to start with a clean sheet,” the Spaniard added.
“He’s a great lad, I think he’s good for the group. Very experienced centre back. Many, many games and I think he showed today he’s calm with the ball, he’s good in the air, he’s very quick, so a great defender – a great signing for us.”
