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What is the story?
Zinedine Zidane has clarified his stance over Varane’s future as he reiterated that the defender will remain with Real Madrid beyond this season.
In case you didn’t know…
Manchester United is gearing up for an important summer transfer window, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is looking to spend big on defensive reinforcements. Acquiring a world-class central defender is a top priority for United and Raphael Varane fits the bill perfectly. Varane joined Real Madrid in 2011 from French club ‘RC Lens’. He gradually grew into the Madrid setup and formed a formidable partnership with the current club captain Sergio Ramos. He has won an impressive 16 major honours with Real Madrid, that includes 3 back-to-back Champions League titles. Apart from the club career, Varane is also an integral part of Didier Deschamps France setup. The French defender played a vital role in France’s World Cup winning run.
Despite winning multiple honours with club and country, Varane, who is 26, is still not more highly regarded by fans of the beautiful game. Players like Sergio Ramos and Gerard Pique are still considered as a level above Varane. If we look at Varane’s playing style, his subtle elegance on the ball and innate intelligence and understanding of the game is second to none. Combine that with his great physical attributes and blazing speed you have a world-class central defender on your hands. Varane possesses all the qualities to bring the calmness and class back to United’s defence, just like Rio Ferdinand did under Sir Alex Ferguson.
The heart of the matter
As the rumours started circulating about Varane’s future, Zinedine Zidane came forward and squashed all the speculations after Real Madrid’s 1-0 defeat by relegation-threatened Rayo Vallecano on Sunday.
"The positive point of this season finale is that Varane will stay," he told the press.
Real’s season has not gone to plan as they are now 18 points adrift of Champions Barcelona and were knocked out of Champions League by a rampant Ajax performance. Zidane admitted that he can’t wait for the season to get over,
“I want the season to end as soon as possible but there are three games left and we have to respect the competition. We cannot finish the season giving this image of ourselves.'
What's Ahead?
Zidane’s comment on the future of Varane comes as a huge blow for United and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Acquisition of a world-class defender will prove vital for United’s upcoming 2019-20 campaign, especially looking at the current season, where they have conceded over 50 goals in Premier League alone. With Champions League qualification looking like a distant possibility, it seems like Ole Gunnar Splskjaer will have to rethink his potential transfer targets.
