[Nero]

What is his longest run of games for us?

 

[phelans shorts]

His fitness issues have gotten worse and he’s no longer anywhere near the player he was. We’ve been Schweinsteiger’d

 

[MrEleson]

Flop signing so far. Players rarely do better than they did or maintain their level after leaving Madrid. They almost always sell their used goods at the perfect time.

I personally always thought he was a tad overrated anyway. He was phenomenal when he broke through but he was generally behind Pepe till the Portuguese left and after that he benefitted massively from playing next to Ramos.

 

[OmarUnited4ever]

Flop signing so far. Players rarely do better than they did or maintain their level after leaving Madrid. They almost always sell their used goods at the perfect time.

I personally always thought he was a tad overrated anyway. He was phenomenal when he broke through but he was generally behind Pepe till the Portuguese left and after that he benefitted massively from playing next to Ramos.

Of course Madrid only sells crooks, just like Di Maria, who left Madrid and didn't do much afterwards and disappeared, always injured and not playing, or like Kovacic at Chelsea, who's basically a crook, or Llorente who didn't do shit at Atletico Madrid, or even the likes of Khedira with Juve & Xabi Alonso with Bayern, both were injured all the time and didn't play games at their clubs after they left Madrid.

 

[EtH]

Of course Madrid only sells crooks, just like Di Maria, who left Madrid and didn't do much afterwards and disappeared, always injured and not playing, or like Kovacic at Chelsea, who's basically a crook, or Llorente who didn't do shit at Atletico Madrid, or even the likes of Khedira with Juve & Xabi Alonso with Bayern, both were injured all the time and didn't play games at their clubs after they left Madrid.

Either way his fitness issues are a major concern.

 

[MrEleson]

Of course Madrid only sells crooks, just like Di Maria, who left Madrid and didn't do much afterwards and disappeared, always injured and not playing, or like Kovacic at Chelsea, who's basically a crook, or Llorente who didn't do shit at Atletico Madrid, or even the likes of Khedira with Juve & Xabi Alonso with Bayern, both were injured all the time and didn't play games at their clubs after they left Madrid.

You could argue half of those had better success at Madrid than they did at the clubs they moved to. Alonso won a couple of league titles but he was a better player at Madrid (and won bigger honours) ditto Di Maria who played his best football at Madrid. Kovacic & Llorente left Madrid when they were young so still had their whole careers ahead of them.

 

[OmarUnited4ever]

You could argue half of those had better success at Madrid than they did at the clubs they moved to. Alonso won a couple of league titles but he was a better player at Madrid (and won bigger honours) ditto Di Maria who played his best football at Madrid. Kovacic & Llorente left Madrid when they were young so still had their whole careers ahead of them.

Your issue with us signing Varane from Madrid, is that Madrid only sell crooks, however, contrary to what you think, Alonso played almost 40 games per season with Bayern for 3 years after leaving Madrid, same goes for Khedira and Di Maria, regardless of their level after leaving Madrid (becoming better or worse), fitness wise they had no issues in that front.

and remember, fitness problems can affect any player, Madrid bought Hazard for over 100M and he has been a sicknote, Dembele also had injury issues with Barcelona, heck, even a player like Haaland has injury issues, it can happen to anyone anytime, it has nothing to do with a narrative that is Madrid only sell players that are injury prone.

So at least, we can confidently say your assessment of players who leave Madrid (being crooks/injury prone) is wrong.

Now on to Varane performances, I think it is fair for you to say he might been tad overrated, but I think if he gets over his injuries and has that consistent run of games, he can get to his best levels he was known for with Madrid and France, he is still plenty in the tank (being only 28 as a CB).

 

[OmarUnited4ever]

Either way his fitness issues are a major concern.

Yes, specifically to Varane, and as of now, I think his injury issues are a major concern and the club should find a permanent solution to it.

 

[Corridor of Uncertainty]

He's becoming a liability. You can't build a solid defensive structure if a player misses more games than he plays.

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) date

 

[sullydnl]

His total appearances across the last few seasons: 39, 44, 43, 43, 41 and 25 (so far).

I'm not sure we could have predicted he'd end up playing this few games this season based on that. Hopefully normal service resumes next season.

 

[A-man]

Your issue with us signing Varane from Madrid, is that Madrid only sell crooks, however, contrary to what you think, Alonso played almost 40 games per season with Bayern for 3 years after leaving Madrid, same goes for Khedira and Di Maria, regardless of their level after leaving Madrid (becoming better or worse), fitness wise they had no issues in that front.

and remember, fitness problems can affect any player, Madrid bought Hazard for over 100M and he has been a sicknote, Dembele also had injury issues with Barcelona, heck, even a player like Haaland has injury issues, it can happen to anyone anytime, it has nothing to do with a narrative that is Madrid only sell players that are injury prone.

So at least, we can confidently say your assessment of players who leave Madrid (being crooks/injury prone) is wrong.

Now on to Varane performances, I think it is fair for you to say he might been tad overrated, but I think if he gets over his injuries and has that consistent run of games, he can get to his best levels he was known for with Madrid and France, he is still plenty in the tank (being only 28 as a CB).

I personally think Real Madrid are above us in the food chain. We got Varane this season which is great, but even if he can come over his injury problems, I doubt he’ll have a better career (or perform better) at United than what he had at RM. Most players who left RM, either had their best years at RM, or RM don’t think they are good enough for them. And when they sign a new player, they expect him to have his best years to come or continue to perform at world class level. That’s how I feel about it at least.

 

[OmarUnited4ever]

I personally think Real Madrid are above us in the food chain. We got Varane this season which is great, but even if he can come over his injury problems, I doubt he’ll have a better career (or perform better) at United than what he had at RM. Most players who left RM, either had their best years at RM, or RM don’t think they are good enough for them. And when they sign a new player, they expect him to have his best years to come or continue to perform at world class level. That’s how I feel about it at least.

Robben & Snijder had their best career after leaving Madrid, winning trebles with their respective teams, Cambiasso also had his best career after leaving Madrid, yes, Madrid is certainly a dream club for a lot of young talents (Barca as well), but that doesn't mean any player who leaves Madrid was basically let go because they are no longer good enough.

One thing I need to make clear, of course it's expected that top clubs like Madrid, Barca, or Bayern will always do whatever needed to hold onto their best players especially during their prime years, Liverpool, City, Chelsea and even United will try to do the same, being successful and winning trophies will help in that regard as well, however sometimes top players leave top clubs and go to another top club, Bayern lost Alaba & Thiago to Madrid and Liverpool, Sane left City and went to Bayern, these things happen and that also includes Varane, who Madrid wanted to keep and offered him new contract but he opted to leave, it wasn't like Madrid let him go because they thought he wasn't good enough.

I still have reservations about Varane's fitness, and his overall performances when he played didn't meet expectations so far, but he is in a terrible and a disjointed squad that performed very poorly throughout the season, the hope is next season he kicks on and shows his best under ETH.

 

[croadyman]

His total appearances across the last few seasons: 39, 44, 43, 43, 41 and 25 (so far).

I'm not sure we could have predicted he'd end up playing this few games this season based on that. Hopefully normal service resumes next season.

Yeah I still feel him being rushed back from that first injury has played a part in this

 

[Bwuk]

He’s obviously a great player but he’s been a flop. Our defence is terrible and we can’t rely on him to stay fit.

 

[A-man]

Robben & Snijder had their best career after leaving Madrid, winning trebles with their respective teams, Cambiasso also had his best career after leaving Madrid, yes, Madrid is certainly a dream club for a lot of young talents (Barca as well), but that doesn't mean any player who leaves Madrid was basically let go because they are no longer good enough.

One thing I need to make clear, of course it's expected that top clubs like Madrid, Barca, or Bayern will always do whatever needed to hold onto their best players especially during their prime years, Liverpool, City, Chelsea and even United will try to do the same, being successful and winning trophies will help in that regard as well, however sometimes top players leave top clubs and go to another top club, Bayern lost Alaba & Thiago to Madrid and Liverpool, Sane left City and went to Bayern, these things happen and that also includes Varane, who Madrid wanted to keep and offered him new contract but he opted to leave, it wasn't like Madrid let him go because they thought he wasn't good enough.

I still have reservations about Varane's fitness, and his overall performances when he played didn't meet expectations so far, but he is in a terrible and a disjointed squad that performed very poorly throughout the season, the hope is next season he kicks on and shows his best under ETH.

United also hold on to the best players (and also our average and poor ones). But the big difference in my opinion is that United sign players, including star players, who clearly have their best years behind them.

 

[croadyman]

He’s obviously a great player but he’s been a flop. Our defence is terrible and we can’t rely on him to stay fit.

I want to see him under Ten Hag next season before writing him off completely, if there isn't improvement in performance and fitness levels then despite him being my dream CB signing will hold my hands up and admit this is another Schweinsteiger

 

[Ollie Derbyshire]

Fitness is a concern but when he plays he’s our best defender for me, the rest have been atrocious all season and make several huge mistakes per game between them.

Hopefully he stays fitter next season and we either upgrade some of the others or a new coaching team can sort them out. You could put prime Maldini in our back line and he’d look lost as well most the time playing next to our clowns.

 

[Son]

I see a lot of people saying he’s so good for us when he plays but quite honestly I’m yet to see it.

With or without him on the pitch our defence has been shocking and it’s not all down to Harry Maguire. Maguire to his credit is always available which I respect whether he’s in poor form or not.

People are saying sell Maguire too which is just ridiculous given the quality of our other CB options. AWB is probably the worst player in the squad but gets a free pass by most fans same with Phil Jones.

 

[Sandikan]

You're going to hate me.

I think he was one of our most overrated players ever. The more he was out of the team and especially when he went away, the more people looked back on him with rose tinted glasses and ignored the lapses in concentration, composure and workrate that made him such a bang average defender.

In contrast, I've always felt Phil Jones got a bit of a hard time. He became a laughing stock despite never giving a fraction less than his all in the shirt, because he pulled funny faces and was absolutely destroyed by injuries.

When fit and with a run of games, I've always thought Jones was twice the defender Smalling was.

I totally get that's a controversial and unpopular opinion though.

It's funny how perceptions change isn't it.
Jones moved from a fairly strong whole hearted defender to someone seen as a woeful meme.

When the truth is probably that when actually fit, he's pretty solid.
However, the sheer inability to stay for for even a month at a time in the last 4 or more years has really killed his rep. Which is why we can't even loan him out.

 

[Cassidy]

It's funny how perceptions change isn't it.
Jones moved from a fairly strong whole hearted defender to someone seen as a woeful meme.

When the truth is probably that when actually fit, he's pretty solid.
However, the sheer inability to stay for for even a month at a time in the last 4 or more years has really killed his rep. Which is why we can't even loan him out.

He made quite a few defensive errors when fit

 

[OmarUnited4ever]

United also hold on to the best players (and also our average and poor ones). But the big difference in my opinion is that United sign players, including star players, who clearly have their best years behind them.

That I agree with, Sanchez, Cavani, Ibrahimovic, Schweinsteiger and Falcao, come to mind, even Matic was good for a season only.

Our recruitment has been horrible overall

 

[el3mel]

I was just checking and I found that he only played 25 games this season, including 18 in the league.

Man United is the easiest club to offload past it, injury prone players into.

 

[Nou_Camp99]

350k a week for someone who is never fit. 250k for Cavani who has been AWOL. 280k for Pogba who has been largely AWOL for 5 years (even when on the pitch)

This is the worst ran elite club in football.

 

[RedIan]

We have signed a right lemon. Too injury prone by far.

 

[captaincantona]

How does this happen in the modern game with modern medicine. His record at Madrid didn’t raise any red flags. We’re our checks not good enough? I don’t buy that Madrid knew - they offered him a new deal! Are we just fuking cursed? On paper, at that price...it’s a no brainier.

 

[UNITED ACADEMY]

How does this happen in the modern game with modern medicine. His record at Madrid didn’t raise any red flags. We’re our checks not good enough? I don’t buy that Madrid knew - they offered him a new deal! Are we just fuking cursed? On paper, at that price...it’s a no brainier.

Could be the cause of a transition from La Liga to PL. Two different leagues' style. PL is more physical and the schedule is more packed. Next season, we will see.

 

[Lyng]

How does this happen in the modern game with modern medicine. His record at Madrid didn’t raise any red flags. We’re our checks not good enough? I don’t buy that Madrid knew - they offered him a new deal! Are we just fuking cursed? On paper, at that price...it’s a no brainier.

Even during Fergusons tenure we often had way more injury issues then our opponents. There have been questions asked about our medical staff before.

 

[el3mel]

How does this happen in the modern game with modern medicine. His record at Madrid didn’t raise any red flags. We’re our checks not good enough? I don’t buy that Madrid knew - they offered him a new deal! Are we just fuking cursed? On paper, at that price...it’s a no brainier.

Didn't rise any red flag? Guy had a long term injury almost every season at Real Madrid.

https://www.transfermarkt.com/raphael-varane/verletzungen/spieler/164770

And that's in a league with low intensity as well.

 

[tenpoless]

We will be data driven next season which means he will be able to prevent injuries. Stuffs like eating too much tomatoes won't go unnoticed.

 

[Bebestation]

Just a player who wants to chill out than play football.

Hiding with fake injuries etc.

 

[captaincantona]

Didn't rise any red flag? Guy had a long term injury almost every season at Real Madrid.

https://www.transfermarkt.com/raphael-varane/verletzungen/spieler/164770

And that's in a league with low intensity as well.

Missed 65 games in 7 seasons...played 360...not a sick note by any stretch...but point taken.

 

[el3mel]

Missed 65 games in 7 seasons...played 360...not a sick note by any stretch...but point taken.

Compare that to Luka Modric's record who is 37 years and plays in a position that requires high intensity :

https://www.transfermarkt.com/luka-modric/verletzungen/spieler/27992

 

[captaincantona]

Compare that to Luka Modric's record who is 37 years and plays in a position that requires high intensity :

https://www.transfermarkt.com/luka-modric/verletzungen/spieler/27992

Absolutely. I was going off memory of him at Madrid, never struck me as particularly injury prone but the stats don’t lie.

 

[lex talionis]

Despite the legitimate complaints against him, Varane has been by far our best defender this season.

But his fitness is a concern. Do we need to overhaul the conditioning/medical department as well?

 

[Iker Quesadillas]

Compare that to Luka Modric's record who is 37 years and plays in a position that requires high intensity :
https://www.transfermarkt.com/luka-modric/verletzungen/spieler/27992

Modric missed 112 and 72 days in the 2014-2015 season, both of which are longer than all but one of Varane's injury stints. Shit happens.
Varane's injury record isn't particularly worse than other RM defenders. See Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Carvajal, or Mendy.

 

[el3mel]

Modric missed 112 and 72 days in the 2014-2015 season, both of which are longer than all but one of Varane's injury stints. Shit happens.
Varane's injury record isn't particularly worse than other RM defenders. See Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Carvajal, or Mendy.

One long injury in only one season out of ton of seasons is better than multiple injuries in multiple seasons.

 

[tomaldinho1]

I never want to see us sign another player over 25, feck these big names and paydays. Get me some young hungry fecker who is going to run his arse of every game.

 

[jem]

In the Guardian today, Jame Jackson said the following: "Varane has also been sluggish, lacks desire and can be barged aside." I know he's been injury prone, but I didn't reckon lack of desire was a problem. Have I missed something?

 

[OmarUnited4ever]

Not a good season so far for Varane..


The hope is next season, with a proper pre season under his belt, and consistent games, he can get back to his good levels with Madrid and France

 

[Borys]

I'm shocked to read he played 25games this season. I'd have guessed half of that. Always unavailable.