Unfortunately, Manchester United’s performance both on the pitch and off it has been far from the standards of a club with such prestige.
From losing ten games in 26 Premier League matches to rarely seeing a player become more valuable after signing, the club has become a mess.
The task of fixing the Red Devils falls on the shoulders of Ineos and Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who are keen to completely discard the way the club has functioned over the last decade and more.
To begin their reign, staff behind the scenes and players will have their futures reevaluated, including one player that was signed by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in 2021.
What Man United paid for Raphael Varane
On August 14th 2021, Man United announced the signing of Raphael Varane before the 5-1 victory over rival Leeds United, with the World Cup winner walking onto the field just prior to kick-off.
It wasn’t just the signing of a new defender that excited the United faithful; it was the fact that they were signing the "best" defender in the world, as per Jose Mourinho.
The centre-half joined the Red Devils in a deal worth £34m from Real Madrid, and he made his first start for the club in a 1-0 away win over Wolverhampton Wanderers.
However, his first season in Manchester was heavily disrupted by five separate injuries, which saw him miss 19 matches in total during the campaign.
Unfortunately, that was also the case during the start of Erik ten Hag’s reign, with the France defender missing 15 matches, but Varane still made 22 Premier League starts last season.
Varane’s value in 2024
The 30-year-old rock has had his minutes heavily managed by Ten Hag this season, as his importance to the side in big games is unquestioned.
Over the campaign, Varane has started 12 top-flight games, but when he has played, he’s proved to be a true “leader” at the heart of the defence, as per content creator Liam Canning.
That said, due to Lisandro Martinez’s injury, the former Real Madrid titan will have to step up and play much more frequently, with the defensive options at the club extremely limited due to injuries.
The fact that Varane will feature more is only a positive for United, as he is an extremely solid defender both in and out of possession, as you can see by his statistics from the 2-1 win over Aston Villa below, but you have to worry that another injury will inevitably be waiting around the corner.
Minutes
96
Clearances
7
Tackles
3
Pass Accuracy
93%
Duels won
6/7
Although Varane is still an excellent centre-back, his lack of reliability, availability, and lack of games has seen his estimated worth plummet since signing for the Red Devils.
As of today, the number 19 is estimated to be valued at £13m by CIES Football Observatory, which is a £21m decrease since his arrival and it makes him the second-lowest valued player in the United squad to have started over ten games this season.
Nevertheless, it seems that his future at the club may not go beyond the summer, with Ratcliffe looking to conduct a complete squad overhaul with multiple players set to leave, and one of them could be Varane.
The experienced asset is out of contract at the end of the season, with an exit seemingly an inevitability…
