“He’s made of biscuits – he keeps breaking” – Pundit delivers damning verdict on Manchester United star

BBC pundit and former footballer Garth Crooks has expressed some concerns about Manchester United defender Raphael Varane's latest injury scare.

The Frenchman picked up a knock during United's 1-1 draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge over the weekend and was seen leaving the pitch in tears.

Crooks believes Varane is a good defender, but is worried about the frequency of his injury troubles. The pundit has also seen a change in the game where the forwards are now much more physical than the defenders they come up against.

Writing in his column for BBC Sport, Crooks was quoted as saying the following:

"In the meantime, what is wrong with Raphael Varane? He's a good defender but he's made of biscuits - he keeps breaking. Strikers used to get carried off after a tackle by a defender. Now centre-backs get carried off after they tackled a striker. What's it coming to?"

Since arriving at Old Trafford last summer, Varane has played only 40 times across all competitions for Manchester United. A variety of muscular problems have troubled him and United will hope his latest setback isn't too serious.

As things stand, however, Varane seems to be in a race against time to be fit for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar which commences in less than a month's time. He is considered one of France's key defenders and would be a major miss if he does not return on time.

Varane had a slow start to the 2022-23 season for Manchester United. The French defender was not part of the starting XI for the opening two games of the new Premier League season.

Erik ten Hag's side lost both of those games, which prompted the Dutch tactician to use Varane in place of Harry Maguire. Since then, he has become an integral part of United's defense and has formed a great partnership alongside new signing Lisandro Martinez.

Varane has made 11 appearances for the Red Devils this season across all competitions.

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Manchester United return to UEFA Europa League action in mid-week

Manchester United will take on Moldovan side Sheriff Tiraspol in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday, October 27. A win against Sheriff will see United book their place in the knockout rounds of this season's Europa League.

United have picked up three wins from their four group-stage matches in their Europa League campaign. Their only defeat came against Real Sociedad in their opening game.

It is worth mentioning that Manchester United beat Sheriff Tiraspol 2-0 last month. Jadon Sancho and Cristiano Ronaldo were the goalscorers for the Red Devils on that occasion.