Manchester United defender Raphael Varane has revealed that he is fully fit after picking up an injury whilst away on international duty with France.
The centre-back was replaced by Arsenal ’s William Saliba against Ivory Coast in the 58th minute last Friday, with many Red Devils fans fearing a worst-case scenario. Paul Pogba also had to be replaced late on in the match after injuring his foot.
United are currently sitting in sixth place in the Premier League, four points behind Arsenal who occupy the final Champions League spot. Finishing in the top four would be quite the achievement for the Old Trafford outfit given how poor they have been for spells of this season, and will ensure that their new manager can attract top talent to the squad.
And Varane has revealed that he is completely fine after the match and will even be available for France’s friendly against South Africa on Tuesday night. He said: “I’m at 100% for tomorrow. It was a hit, but it was just painful.”
Varane’s first season in England certainly won’t have gone as the former Real Madrid defender had planned having suffered injuries and contracted Covid, making just 17 appearances for United. Alongside captain Harry Maguire in defence, the pair have struggled to consistently keep opposition attackers at bay but there have been glimmers of quality from Varane on occasions this season.
However, Pogba may not be available for United’s clash with Leicester City at the weekend as Les Bleus boss Didier Deschamps has revealed that the midfielder would have to miss training to assess his injury. He explained: “Paul Pogba will miss training (on Monday evening). We’ll see with the medical staff tomorrow if they (he and Tchouaméni) are available tomorrow night.”
Pogba is out of contract at the end of the season and looks unlikely to put pen to paper on a new deal and remain at the Theatre of Dreams. The 29-year-old has been linked with moving to some of Europe’s biggest clubs, with interested parties potentially excited by the prospect of signing a naturally gifted midfielder on a free transfer.
The former Juventus star has struggled for consistency since returning to United for £89.3million in 2016, but has shown that when he is in form, there are few better midfielders in world football – his new side will simply have to be able to ensure they find that ‘version’ of Pogba week in week out.
Barcelona, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain are all thought to be in the market for the no.6, though there have been no solid reports on who the player would like to join when the campaign draws to a close. Sky Sports have also said that there are two other Premier League clubs that are interested in Pogba and monitoring his situation at United, with Newcastle expected to be one of those sides given that they have immense backing from their new Saudi owners that want the Magpies to regain their status as one of the top clubs in England.
