There is no denying how devastating the loss of Raphael Varane will be for Manchester United in the coming weeks. United's dramatic draw with Chelsea at the weekend was a moment to savour, but one slightly tainted by the distressing scenes of the Frenchman's latest injury setback.
Varane was in tears as he walked off the Stamford Bridge pitch, cursing not only his own bad luck with a fifth different injury since joining United last year, but also the real fear that this one would end his World Cup hopes.
The early reports suggest Varane will be sidelined for a few weeks. It's perhaps not as bad as first feared, but still represents a huge setback for a defender playing at the top of his game and who will need to be eased back into action rather than thrown in at the deep end.
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United have been at their best when Varane has been fit, and it is little surprise that the majority of their chastening defeats have come when he has not been available.
Last season, Varane was absent for both defeats to City and Liverpool, as well as humiliating away defeats to Leicester and Brighton.
This season, the record is similar. He sat out the Brighton defeat, came on at half-time with United already four goals down at Brentford and was an unused substitute in the defeat to Real Sociedad. His injury accelerated United's collapse against Man City, with Erling Haaland scoring his first goal while he was off the pitch waiting to come back on.
Erik ten Hag will be rueing the loss of such an influential player right when his side were gaining momentum, but his loss could very much be a moment of opportunity for the other defenders starved of regular football.
Varane's absence gives Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof both a chance to get back into the starting line-up and, with that, they will both be battling to become the clear third choice and establish a firm pecking order.
Lindelof has been the recent back-up option, with two starts against Omonia in the Europa League as well as Everton in the Premier League. It was also he who came on for the injured Varane in matches against City and Chelsea, with club captain Maguire himself out through injury.
The England international was third-choice at the start of the season but hasn't featured since before the last international break in September following his own hamstring injury. Maguire has missed the last seven matches, and in that time, Lindelof has impressed Ten Hag in the opportunities he has been given.
Maguire was spotted back in training with United last week, though he wasn't fit enough to make the matchday squad for the weekend trip to Chelsea. It means that Lindelof will most likely get the nod against FC Sheriff on Thursday night, but beyond that, there will be a real battle for the starting role alongside Lisandro Martinez.
Both centre-backs will be relishing the opportunity to show Ten Hag what they still have to offer, and how they perform over the coming weeks could well go a long way to dictating their long-term future at the club.
Lindelof and Maguire both feel they should be playing regularly but might be able to settle for being third-choice given how regularly United rely on those in reserve. However, if they realise they are fourth-choice, then they might look to leave next year in pursuit of a fresh start at a club where they are viewed as indispensable again.
It has created an intriguing dynamic for the upcoming matches, with Ten Hag likely to have both centre-backs available, vying for the one starting position in defence.
Varane is quite clearly the standout name in defence, and now we are about to find out who his understudy really is.
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