Yahoo News Raphael Varane contract revelation throws light on Erik ten Hag dilemma at Man Utd
In many ways, it is indicative of Manchester United’s troubled season that Erik ten Hag is having to lean on yet another central defender he seemed close to leaving behind.
From being stripped of the captain’s armband to almost exiting the club in the summer, Harry Maguire ended up being one of the players on whom Ten Hag had come to rely in recent weeks.
Now United’s deepening injury crisis has also robbed Ten Hag of Maguire, the Dutchman has had to turn to another previously forgotten man, Raphael Varane, to help dig him out of a hole.
This despite Varane being completely sidelined not too long ago and free to talk to foreign suitors from next month with his contract set to expire at the end of the season, a year earlier than was originally stated on United’s website at the time of his signing.
Varane’s appearance in the 1-0 defeat by Bayern Munich on Tuesday night that confirmed United’s elimination from Europe was his first start since late October and first appearance for a month.
Having been one of the pillars alongside Lisandro Martinez and Casemiro on which United’s brief, all too fragile resurgence was built last season, the France defender’s fall from grace this season was as dramatic and sudden as that of the team itself.
It was commonplace to hear Ten Hag hailing the World Cup and four-time Champions League winner’s character and leadership last term.
But the same player has since dropped to fifth in the pecking order, behind even 35-year-old Jonny Evans, and is only now back in the fold because of the latest injury woes to affect the squad.
It raises questions about how Ten Hag has managed players
Varane was one of the few performers to impress for United against Bayern and Ten Hag will hope he can produce a similar display on Sunday to try to help his severely depleted side stifle Premier League leaders Liverpool at Anfield, where they lost 7-0 last season.
It is, to say the least, a rather awkward situation and again raises questions about the way Ten Hag has managed certain players and situations. It is a tricky balance to strike between maintaining discipline and not being authoritarian or obstinate to the point of cutting your nose off to spite your face, particularly in modern day dressing rooms.
Ten Hag may have called it right with Cristiano Ronaldo last season but it is debatable as to whether he has handled the delicate Jadon Sancho predicament as well as he could while his treatment of Maguire and Varane seems dubious at best.
“You can ban players but it’s also about man-management of course and how to work with and handle players,” the perceptive former United and Netherlands defender Jaap Stam told The Overlap’s ‘Stick to Football’ podcast. “There was the Ronaldo thing, the Sancho thing, Raphael Varane probably – I don’t know if something’s happened over there.
“There’s the thing with the press now and banning journalists from press conferences. It doesn’t work in your favour as a manager. You need to have peace and quiet.
“You need to fully focus and I don’t think you want to talk about players or what players think about you as a manager.
“I worry a little bit for him and that’s why it would be good if he gets the results. He has got to be worried and thinking about what’s going to happen now.”
“Is he going to make progress?” 🇳🇱
Jaap Stam on his fellow countryman Erik ten Hag and his time at Manchester United so far. pic.twitter.com/ddCqefsSCZ— The Overlap (@WeAreTheOverlap) December 13, 2023
When Varane joined United from Real Madrid for £42.7 million in August 2021, it was announced on the club’s website that his contract ran until 2025. However, that will only be the case if a 12-month option in the deal is exercised, meaning Varane will become a free agent next summer assuming that clause is not triggered or he does not leave beforehand.
Varane is thought to want to stay at Old Trafford but it is no secret that his relationship with Ten Hag has deteriorated and it is hard to see how that can continue in the longer-term without things coming to a head.
A transfer away next month cannot be discounted although his age and wages may deter European suitors, particularly as he could be available for nothing six months later, while a lot of Saudi Pro League clubs have already filled their foreign player quotas.
Either way, Ten Hag has yet another player headache with which to contend.
