Maybe I’m overly cautious but Sanchez still haunts me… Anyway, the passing is not my concern, it’s more the physical game but he’ll probably be fine.
I don’t think it is bold. And I could be wrong, we’ll see soon enough, but based on what I’ve seen in their separate leagues I think both Maguire and Lindelof are better on the ball. But the whole discussion started around stats regarding long balls. I don’t expect Varane to hit many of the quality we saw Lindelof do against Leeds. But again, I could be wrong there, too.
How could I be sure? Looking back I wouldn’t say he’s been better with the ball, but maybe la liga is superior in that sense and he will surprise me when he plays in the PL. I can not know. On the other hand the press on the CBs is often higher in the PL. We’ll see.
Regarding aerials. I think he’ll be an upgrade but I’m not 100% sure. I don’t see him as a player who goes in to aerial duels very often. The stats you talk about also confirm that, he wins about 2.4 aerials per game. If the stats were comparable he would win one extra aerial per 5 games, and lose one less every second game, compared to Lindelof. If the stats transfer to real life, yes it’s an improvement but not huge. On the other hand there will more aerial balls to handle in the PL, so I expect him to challenge much more than in the past.
There is also a big difference between the leagues. His aerial won% in la liga is high but that doesn’t mean it will be the same in the PL. His aerial % in the last 3 years of CL is 58% as example.
Again, I absolutely think he’ll be an upgrade aerially, but cannot be 100% sure. We’ll have to wait and see.
[/QUOTE]
Varane is really composed on the ball and always comes across as confident in his ability. Lindelof for me is able to hit a really good long pass over the top, but he can only usually do this when he's not under pressure. When he is under pressure he tends to take the safer option more often than not. Varane is more likely to take the initiative and beat a man when under pressure, effectively breaking the press and creating passing options in midfield. I'm also much more used to seeing him playing 30 yard ground passes into our attackers' feet than Lindelof.
Lindelof is improving as a ball playing cb, but I don't think he has nearly the confidence in his game that Varane shows. Varane comes across as a leader. That makes a massive difference for a cb. Also, Varane clearly has the advantage when it comes to physical attributes, particularly size and speed.
I don't think this transfer is anything like the Sanchez one, and I'm almost offended for Varane that people would think that of him, just because he comes to United with a big reputation.