Raphael Varane signed for Manchester United last summer after a sensational 10-year spell spent at Real Madrid in which he won four Champions Leagues, three La Liga titles and countless other domestic major honours including the 2018 World Cup with France.
United agreed an initial fee of £34million for the player and that seemed like remarkable value considering his stellar record in the game. Real Madrid usually don't allow elite players to leave the club and the move seemed like it was too good to be true.
Varane, smartly dressed wearing a Hugo Boss suit, was unveiled at Old Trafford on the opening day of the season and the anticipation was tangible on the terraces. United had signed Jadon Sancho and Varane and a Premier League title challenge was expected.
ALSO READ: Xavi has explained why Ten Hag wants De Jong at Man United
United endured their worst season for decades and recorded their lowest-ever points total in the Premier League instead. Sancho contributed just five goals and three assists while Varane seemed to spend more time in the treatment room than on the pitch.
Varane sustained a groin injury in October playing for France and that issue ruled him out for three games. He made his return against Tottenham but suffered a hamstring injury just one week later and that was just a warning of what was to come.
That injury was more severe and Varane was sidelined for well over a month, only returning to play at Newcastle after Christmas. In the New Year, Varane was sidelined for another five games through a stomach complaint, Covid-19 and muscular problems.
Varane spent 95 days on the sidelines and the season was 282 days long in total, which means he was unavailable for over a third of United's matches. Varane has taken Edinson Cavani's title as the most injury-prone after the striker left the club this summer.
The silver lining to Varane's concerning injury record was that he looked like a classy operator when he played, but truthfully, that was difficult to confirm because he was typically injured for games against the Premier League's toughest opposition.
Varane played just four games against top-six opposition last season. Two of those appearances came against Tottenham, who United scored six goals against and beat home and away, although Spurs still did manage to qualify for the Champions League.
The Frenchman stands at 6ft 2ins and he's blessed with natural pace and agility. His physique and qualities promised he would become one of the Premier League's best defenders, but some of his performances have been dubious and they've slightly gone under the radar.
Although team performances last season were hardly conducive to seeing Varane at his best, there is a suspicion he might not be the player United thought they were signing, and that has been exacerbated by his injury record, which has been frustrating.
Varane missed United's pre-season matches against Liverpool and Crystal Palace with a knock and he played just 68 minutes against Melbourne Victory and Aston Villa on tour. Varane does not seem robust enough to make 38 starts in a Premier League season.
That explains why Lisandro Martinez has been signed and why Harry Maguire has played on the right side of the centre of the defence in pre-season. Martinez is left-footed and seems the natural choice to play on that side with Maguire on the other side.
It seems like Erik ten Hag knows he can't trust Varane's fitness, which is a shame considering what he promised last summer.
READ MORE:
