Almost one year from the announcement of Raphaël Varane's move to Manchester United. In his first season, the French center-back's performance has not been up to expectations due to muscular injuries he has suffered. The general level of the team has not been good either, despite the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo in the squad, they did not even qualify for the Champions League. Despite everything, Varane has no regrets about leaving Real Madrid.
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"No, absolutely not," Varane assures the BBC in an interview. "In football you have to take on challenges and try to improve. I wanted to live another experience after 10 years in the same place," Varane shared. "The Premier League is absolutely fantastic and Manchester United is a great club. There were no doubts about my decision."
United ended last season without silverware and finished sixth in the Premier League, 35 points behind champions and arch-rivals Manchester City, but with the arrival of Erik ten Hag to the dugout Varane sees cause for optimism. "It's a new season. A new start," reckons the French center-back. "Confidence is important and we lost it when we lost some games. But I think we have great potential.”
The arrival of Lisandro Martinez from Ajax may take minutes away from Varane as Ten Hag would still rely on questionable captain Harry Maguire at the heart of the backline. But the Frenchman embraces the situation and is confident in his chances.
"A good start with Ten Hag"
Varane is looking forward to Manchester United’s new era: “The new manager is very positive. He wants this energy and to press high up the field, with more space behind our backs. Maybe it's more attacking, but it's the football we really enjoy, so it's a good start…”. United have won all three of their pre-season games so far against Liverpool (4-0), Melbourne Victory (1-4) and Crystal Palace (3-1).
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