The Premier League giants have agreed to a deal with Real Madrid to sign the French centre-back, who will be the club's 2nd major signing of this window.
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The summer transfer window keeps getting better for Manchester United. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side has already completed a big-money move for Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund and now Raphael Varane’s imminent arrival will only get the fans excited. A year ago, Manchester United were criticised for leaving it late in the transfer window to bring in new recruits like Edinson Cavani and Alex Telles. Many questions have also been raised in the past about the calibre of the players that the club was bringing into the squad. But, in this window, the Old Trafford club has shown a real intention of bringing in world-class players from the start.
The club’s progress has been clearly visible since Solskjaer took over from Jose Mourinho. Successive top four finishes and a Europa League final in the last two seasons are proof that the club is moving in the right direction. However, some experts believe that the team is still some way behind Manchester City to challenge for domestic and European honours despite finishing second in the Premier League last season.
In order for the club to close down the 12-point gap at the top of the table, the transfer window seemed to be the obvious solution. Before the start of the window, three problem areas in the squad was identified – right winger, holding midfielder, and a centre-back. It looks like two of the three holes are covered with the signing of Sancho, who predominantly plays on the right wing, and Varane – one of the few world class centre-backs in European football right now.
At Real Madrid, Sergio Ramos, who has now joined Paris Saint-Germain, used to play as a left-sided centre-back, meaning Varane occupied the right side. At United, Harry Maguire normally plays on the left side, which will allow Varane to seamlessly slot into the right side of the defence. He had formed a lethal partnership in the backline with Ramos during his stay at the club to protect their goal. It is something he will look to do at Old Trafford as well.
During his time at Santiago Bernabeu, Ramos was the more aggressive player of the two. The Spanish defender likes to step out of his position to close down the opponents and win back the ball. When Ramos steps out of his position, Varane provides cover for his centre-back partner. Hence, the Frenchman used to be the deepest player in the backline.
Clever at positioning himself to prevent his opponents from catching them in counter-attacks, Varane uses his pace and strength to full advantage to thwart the opposition attacks. Excellent in one-on-one duels – both in the ground and the air – Varane could do a similar role for Solskjaer as well.
Maguire has the tendency to join the attacking play when Manchester United are in ball possession. If United are caught in the counter, Varane could provide cover for his new skipper to hold off the opposition’s attack. Besides, Solskjaer will now have two physically strong centre-backs who can be extremely effective in both the penalty boxes. If the two centre-backs can quickly form a strong defensive partnership, United’s backline will be one of the best in the Premier League.
There is hardly a trophy that the French centre-back has not won. After moving from French club Lens to Real Madrid in 2011, he has made 360 appearances across all competitions, winning 18 major honours, which includes four Champions League titles. Not to mention the World Cup Varane won with France in 2018. The 28-year-old defender is the type of leadership character the Red Devils need right now.
Having gone four years without a trophy, a serial-winner like Varane is exactly what the club needs right now. The defender’s experience in shielding the backline to help the Spanish giants win multiple trophies will come in handy for the Old Trafford outfit. After winning the Europa League in 2017, the reds of Manchester has not won a single title.
In May, Solskjaer had the chance to end the barren run, but United, dubbed as the favourites, lost to Villarreal in the Europa League final. The match ended 1-1 at the regulation time before the Spanish side won it in a penalty shootout. These are the matches where a player like Varane would have come in handy for the club. His experience of helping the club get over the finishing line under pressure situations will help his new team massively.
In his time at Real Madrid, Raphael Varane has won 18 titles – 4 Champions Leagues, 4 Club World Cups, 3 European Super Cups, 3 La Liga titles, 1 Copa del Rey and 3 Spanish Super Cups. Manchester United fans will hope that the French defender’s trophy cabinet will only keep expanding during his stay at Old Trafford.
