Raphael Varane has already sent Manchester United clear replacement message after exit decision

Raphael Varane has already named Willy Kambwala as one of the next big things at Manchester United as the club now look towards replacing him at the heart of defence.

On Tuesday morning it was announced that Varane, 31, would not be extending his stay at Old Trafford after three years in England. He failed to agree to the optional further season with the Red Devils having arrived in the summer of 2021.

Despite a string of injury problems for the former Real Madrid titan, Varane has remained a first-choice option for Erik ten Hag when fit. He may well have played his final league game for the club though after being sidelined for the last six weeks.

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He is working towards a possible return for the FA Cup as United take on Newcastle and Brighton this week in their last two Premier league matches. In his absence, Ten Hag may well continue to turn to Kambwala.

The teenage defender made his senior debut earlier this season and has now started four games in all competitions. He is yet to taste victory when selected from the off though having missed nearly a month through fitness problems of his own.

He was a late substitute against Arsenal on Sunday, unable to turn things around, but is seen by Varane as a player capable of doing great things in a red shirt.

"He is showing his qualities," the World Cup winner said of his compatriot. "I think he will play more matches in the future and continue to improve. He is very young, but he is showing his qualities and we trust him. He has a great future."

The pair have only played five times together and never with longer than 25 minutes of normal time. They will now be hoping to give Varane a proper send-off by qualifying for the Europa League and lifting another domestic cup.

His departure will leave Ineos and Sir Jim Ratcliffe with plenty of restructuring to do in defence under the head coach next season. Johnny Evans has already played a much bigger role this season than expected with Harry Maguire emerging as a key player despite being up for sale.

Victor Lindelof has deputised across the backline during Lisandro Martinez's consistent unavailability. In recent weeks Casemiro has been playing there without success.

With more wholesale changes across the board expected at United in the summer, Varane's comments on Kambwala may well prove to be valuable in terms of saving money on other transfers.