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Manchester United decided to once again undergo a defensive reshuffle in the summer after a dismal last season in which the club conceded 85 goals in all competitions, the most since 1970.
With INEOS on board, they decided to reduce the overall age of the squad and out went Raphael Varane upon the expiration of his contract and in came Leny Yoro and Matthijs de Ligt.
The young Frenchman suffered a pre-season injury and is currently sidelined while the Netherlands international has struggled for form since his summer move.
The former Real Madrid superstar did not fare much better, suffering an injury during pre-season for his new club Como and after failing to recover from that knock, has since called time on his glorious career.
Varane’s injury-riddled United spell
Varane’s three years at United were also riddled with injuries with the 31-year-old missing over 40 games in three seasons, hardly managing to play a long sequence of games without suffering some sort of repercussion.
United had the option of triggering a one-year extension but chose against doing so, something that did not please the four-time Champions League winner.
When he first arrived at Old Trafford, fans were overjoyed due to the winning mentality he brought to the club and the defender even reiterated his desire to finish his career in Manchester.
But that did not prove to be the case and during an interview with L’Équipe (via GFFN), he revealed why he chose to move to Italy this summer.
He had moved to Serie A on the condition that he would play only a game a week and the Como project suited him while INEOS wanted young players.
“At the start of my last season at Manchester United, I was already telling myself that I would have liked to finish there, to extend the adventure [there] a little further,” Varane stated.
Why he left
“It didn’t happen and the summer was very eventful. I was looking for something special, and that’s how I found Como. With United, I finished with a victory in the FA Cup, but I already knew that the club’s project didn’t suit me.”
“Como was a project that stood out, it wasn’t exotic nor financially [rewarding] but humanly it made sense, and it still does, since I’m going to stay by their side.
“I also wanted to play only once a week. After the preseason, the family was supposed to follow me to Italy, but when I got injured on the 11th of July, I knew right away that it was over. I was sure of myself, because I had anticipated it.”
While fans would have loved to see more of Varane in red, he was past his best when he arrived in England and apart from a handful of big games, his injury issues did not allow him to showcase his best self and the decision to move him on came at the right time.
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