MY ACCOUNT
In a season of upheaval for Manchester United, Raphael Varane has been a calming presence at the back.
The French World Cup winner arrived at Old Trafford in August with a reputation as one of the finest central defenders on the planet — and he has certainly lived up to that billing this term.
As Ralf Rangnick’s men prepare to take on Middlesbrough in the FA Cup fourth round tonight, we assess just how vital Varane will be to the Red Devils’ chances of success in the months ahead.
Best buy
Varane was not United’s marquee signing of the summer but he has already showed his class.
The Lille native is making the reported £42million transfer fee look like money very well spent.
With four Champions League and three LaLiga winners’ medals in his collection, the former Real Madrid man arrived with a supreme list of accolades.
Contracted until 2024, the Old Trafford hierarchy will hope to now build their future success around the Lens academy product.
Elite quality
United’s previous big centre-back signing Harry Maguire cost almost exactly twice as much as Varane.
The Red Devils paid Leicester around £80million — a world-record fee for a defender — to secure the England international’s services.
But while the criticism levelled at him has been excessive at times, United’s captain has never fully convinced in Manchester.
Despite only making 16 appearances to date, Varane has and the 28-year-old is the first truly elite centre-back the club have had since the days of Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand.
Hungry for success
If United are to win their first silverware in five seasons, it is most likely to come in the form of a 13th FA Cup triumph.
And Varane spoke about the significance of the competition earlier this month.
He said: “I know it is an important competition and part of the history of the club, and I know it’s exciting for fans.
“When it’s a new competition you always want to win it and to feel the challenge. The most important thing is you want to win.
“In a cup like this you know that you don’t have another game to win if you don’t win this one, so you have to perform and leave all your energy on the pitch.”
Contrasting fortunes
A couple of injury lay-offs have meant that Varane has only featured in 12 of his team’s 22 Premier League games this term, starting 11 of them.
But the data suggests that United are unsurprisingly worse off in his absence.
The Red Devils have lost just twice when Varane has started — but four times when he has not.
His defensive significance also means they have conceded an average of 1.9 goals per game without him in the side, compared to 0.8 when he features.
While Varane’s fitness has by no means been the only factor in those contrasting fortunes, United’s No19 is undoubtedly among their most important stars.
Statistically speaking
As a strong all-rounder, Varane does not stand out in any one defensive aspect above all others.
Nonetheless, there are some interesting numbers worth highlighting.
Firstly, Varane has won almost 70% of his aerial duels this term — the highest proportion of any United defender and the 12th-highest among all Premier League defenders to contest 40 or more aerial challenges.
He knows how to clean up on the ground too, committing just 0.27 fouls per 90. That is a lower foul rate than all bar five defenders in the division.
With impressive numbers across the board, there is little doubt that the 83-cap international is justifying his sizeable transfer fee at Old Trafford this season.
