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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Steven Railston

Manchester United's Raphael Varane retires from international football with France

Manchester United defender Raphael Varane has announced his retirement from international football.

Varane made his France debut in 2013 and he's enjoyed close to a decade of service for Les Blues. The centre-back won the World Cup in Russia in 2018 and he's made a total of 93 caps for his country, some of which he wore the captain's armband in.

The 29-year-old also started in France's major final defeats at Euro 2016 and most recently at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where his side only fell short on penalties against Argentina after normal time and extra time produced a 3-3 scoreline.

READ MORE: Ten Hag substitution have United what they've been missing for two months

Varane has struggled with injury in recent seasons and his retirement from international football allows him to prioritise United. The decision will also allow Varane to spend more time with his family and his two young children, Ruben and Anais.

Varane has made 18 appearances with Erik ten Hag in charge this season and he's built a formidable partnership with Lisandro Martinez, which has seen United record the joint most clean sheets (16) in Europe from the top five leagues.

The player's fellow countryman Hugo Lloris also announced his retirement from international football with France this month.

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