Raphael Varane to leave United

Lyng

Full Member
Joined
Jun 1, 2012
Messages
5,308
Location
Denmark
Comfortably our best cb but sadly with injury problems. I am curious to see if he suddenly stops being injury prone after joining a new club.

Class act and sad to see him leave but the correct decision.
 

Red Rash

Full Member
Joined
Jun 25, 2019
Messages
2,236
Great player, good player for us when fit but unfortunately injuries hampered his career here. Based on the wages and injury record it's the right decision.

We need to make some good signings this summer to replace him.
 

Get In Scholesy

Full Member
Joined
Mar 21, 2010
Messages
4,066
Location
The Plains of Nineveh
Not overly sad to see him go, was very ecstatic when we signed him and am very pleased he had some good games for us while at the club.

Unfortunately our terrible form and his injuries seemed to have been overlapping too often.

Wish him the best in the future. This probably means we are bringing in and/or promoting 3-4 CBs this summer.
 

Todd

Full Member
Joined
Mar 7, 2011
Messages
3,538
Location
Indiana, USA
The Varane and Casemiro transfers should serve as examples of why we need drastic changes to our transfer policies moving forward.

As a rule we should never bid on players over the age of 26, and never offer a contract longer than 4 seasons.
 

Marching On!

New Member
Newbie
Joined
May 7, 2024
Messages
62
A good player, a terrible signing.

67 league games across 3 seasons, on £340,000 a week. A short-termism signing at its absolute finest along with Casemiro.

The sooner we switch our attention to players who are on an upwards trajectory as oppose to those who have already won everything elsewhere the quicker we’ll turn this ship around.
 

Zoo

Full Member
Joined
Jul 21, 2010
Messages
29,951
When he played he was good. Top defender who respected the club. Just riddled with injuries
 

Leftback99

Might have a bedwetting fetish.
Joined
Jan 11, 2015
Messages
14,710
Marching On! said:
A good player, a terrible signing.

67 league games across 3 seasons, on £340,000 a week. A short-termism signing at its absolute finest along with Casemiro.

The sooner we switch our attention to players who are on an upwards trajectory as oppose to those who have already won everything elsewhere and on the way down the quicker we’ll turn this ship around.
Click to expand...
Definitely. £80m+ over 3 seasons for little return on the pitch. Poor signing.
 

m1tch

Full Member
Joined
Jan 31, 2010
Messages
7,147
He's not shown enough for us in order to merit us backing him with a new deal, even if a change of coaching/football management structure could increase his availability (it might not). The state were in means we could really do with consistently available defenders, I'd be happy to see Shaw moved on for the same reason when the opportunity comes.
 

Pughnichi

Full Member
Joined
Nov 27, 2016
Messages
1,727
In a parallel universe we could dodge a bullett with never having signed jones…and constantly renewing his contract <sigh>

but instead signed Varane who said that jones was the reason he decided against transferring to Utd.
 

Pughnichi

Full Member
Joined
Nov 27, 2016
Messages
1,727
Marching On! said:
A good player, a terrible signing.

67 league games across 3 seasons, on £340,000 a week. A short-termism signing at its absolute finest along with Casemiro.

The sooner we switch our attention to players who are on an upwards trajectory as oppose to those who have already won everything elsewhere the quicker we’ll turn this ship around.
Click to expand...
Or £791,000.00 per league game

deary me
 

TrustInJanuzaj

'Liverpool are a proper club'
Joined
Mar 26, 2015
Messages
10,902
TheRedDevil2019 said:
Hardly, he's 31.

In a day and age when players like Ramos, Pepe and Silva are showing how despite being much, much older, they can still hang with the young ones, I think this is a bad move.

Varane is the best cb at the club no question.
Click to expand...
Martinez Is still better but just needs to stay fit.
 

Abraxas

Full Member
Joined
Mar 6, 2021
Messages
6,129
I don't think he's ever been particularly good for us.

I expected much more of a command of the defence, more leadership, having won everything and being at the back end of his career. Not necessarily someone ranting and raving but I expected more authority and an ability to galvanise a defence around him.

That's not really happened at any point, at best he just puts on a decent personal display. I say decent because I'm not sure it's ever been spectacular from him. Some of his ball playing is laboured.

And of course...injuries. To be honest a centre half that is constantly out of action is fairly useless to a team. A winger can flick in and out as long as they perform, not great but the team shouldn't suffer to the same extent. When you can never build defensive partnerships you're massively on the back foot.

Nothing really to miss.
 

foolsgold

Full Member
Joined
Sep 1, 2008
Messages
1,710
Location
Aotearoa
Lash said:
It's my opinion rather than any fact, but I think he would have extended if Ten Hag wasn't going to be the manager.
Click to expand...
The club could have triggered the one year extension but didn't because it looks like we wanted him to take a massive pay cut. It was never his choice.
 

Bertie Wooster

Full Member
Joined
Jan 21, 2021
Messages
3,115
Shame how it's worked out. He was a world class CB at Madrid for a number of years and could / should have been a top signing and quality player for us for a number of years as well. But it's never really worked out with his regular injuries and our many other issues.

It's the right decision for both parties, unfortunately. His frustrating injury issues will feel another 'If only?' in a decade full of them.
 

tentan

Poor man's poster.
Joined
Oct 5, 2013
Messages
4,639
Good news really. His time at United has been terrible lets be honest.
 

Martinez4midfield

New Member
Newbie
Joined
Aug 13, 2022
Messages
115
Supports
Ajax
I say this bodes well, get the wage bill under control. Build a team that's ready to compete and then start handing out these massive contracts on that missing link player. Raphael just at the wrong time.
 

Insanity

Most apt username 2015
Joined
Aug 4, 2014
Messages
4,614
Location
Location
As the post above, I am not going to miss him. I don't think he was ever great with us. People will say he was only 28 and coming off some decent seasons injury wise but his dodgy knees was a well known fact before we signed him. Another one signed based on his name than his suitability to the league and our team. He did reasonably well starting with Licha in some games last season but was also part of some of our big thrashings. I don't know what stats would say, I felt we always conceded more goals when he started at CB then others.
 

wildflower2007

New Member
Newbie
Joined
Mar 25, 2024
Messages
25
I've nothing against Varane at all, when he was fit and on his game he was world class. He also seems like a decent guy who liked United.

My biggest problem with signings like him and Cas isn't personal, it's more the business model.
I've always said, just ask why Madrid are selling you players, period. They don't sell world class players in their prime, quite the opposite. Go and ask Madrid to buy Bellingham or Vinicius right now and see what the answer would be.

Anytime Madrid come sniffing around United with players in tow they want selling, we shouldn't even entertain them.
 

Wheato

Full Member
Joined
Jul 29, 2013
Messages
1,535
Location
Manchester
a_devil_inside said:
Can’t say i’ll miss him really, decent transfer but not one that stands out. Plus always seems to be injury prone and his wages are too high.
His best years were in Madrid.
Click to expand...
Someone said yesterday that he only started getting injured when he joined us, but over his last 7 seasons for Madrid, on average he missed 10 games a season through injury. 70 games is quite a lot.
 

Rightnr

Wants players fined for winning away.
Joined
Jan 25, 2015
Messages
14,764
Guy is class. Shame we didn't get him when we first wanted him but then he wouldn't have all those CLs and the World cup probably.
 

predator

Youth NITK
Joined
Feb 11, 2013
Messages
6,810
Location
South Manchester
Very classy guy and it was evident from the minute we signed him how excited and proud he was to play here. This means a lot for me considering he came here after leaving a mammoth of a club like Madrid and winning so much with them.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.