Raphael Varane: Manchester United sign France defender from Real Madrid on four-year deal

Manchester United have finally completed the signing of Raphael Varane from Real Madrid.

The 28-year-old defender – who won the 2018 World Cup with France – has joined United on a four-year deal for a fee believed to be around £41m including add-ons.

Varane becomes United’s third summer signing after the arrivals of England winger Jadon Sancho and free agent Tom Heaton.

More to follow…

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Neville’s verdict: Last piece in the jigsaw?
Gary Neville on Sky Sports News:

“It was inevitable the Jadon Sancho deal would eventually happen. They have needed to fill that right-wing spot as it has been a problem for them for the past year or two. But I think the signing of Raphael Varane is really exciting.

“The club have demonstrated patience, become a bit more measured in the last two or three years. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has brought that to the club and they’re not just getting players for the sake of it.

“I think last season, every commentator, pundit, analyst and anyone who watched United said they needed a partner for Harry Maguire. They have got one now so for me it’s going to be an improvement on last season.

“Varane is a good age, he’s got massive experience and a good centre-back alongside him and it’s a good back four. He’s not coming into a team where he’s going to have to hold it together.

“You’d argue he’s the last piece of the jigsaw in the sense that the rest of them are still doing a pretty good job. Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly both did good jobs alongside Harry Maguire but they weren’t that little bit extra that you need.

“I feel Maguire will come out of [Euro 2020] with England strong and more confident than ever. He’s got a player now alongside him whose played for Real Madrid in the biggest games you can ever play in – World Cups, the lot, so for me they have got two brilliant centre-backs.

“They just need to settle the goalkeeping situation out and decide who is going to be No 1. United would then be fine defensively and then Sancho can hopefully bring that balance in attack.”

How Real Madrid shaped Varane

Sky Sports’ Adam Bate:

He was the worst kept secret in European football back in 2011. A teenage defender with height and speed, skillful enough to star at the highest level. He was only 17 years old but the world’s biggest clubs were watching – much to Sir Alex Ferguson’s frustration.

The story of Manchester United’s pursuit of the young Raphael Varane has taken on greater significance one decade on from almost signing him. The defender has won one World Cup and four Champions Leagues since Ferguson jumped on that train to France.

The United legend’s recollection of events in April 2011 is that Zinedine Zidane “scooped him up from under our noses” while chief executive David Gill was going through the finer points of the contract with Lens. In Madrid, a different conversation was happening.

Jose Mourinho was coming towards the end of his first season in the job and found himself confronted with the reality of what Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona had become. The 5-0 defeat in the Nou Camp that November had been chastening. A rebuild was required.

In a meeting to discuss future plans, Zidane, working as a special adviser prior to being announced as the new sporting director that summer, declared that there was a centre-back at Lens who would become better than World Cup-winning captain Laurent Blanc…

Varane can help bring the glory days back to Old Trafford

Sky Sports’ Richard Morgan:

Varane racked up over 350 appearances for Real, winning 18 major honours in the process, including four Champions League and three La Liga titles.

It is that type of pedigree United are bringing to Old Trafford – someone who not only knows how to win, but also expects to.

Not just with Madrid either, but France too, who he became world champion with in 2018. In Russia, Varane played a key role off the field with his dressing-room leadership skills as well as on it, where he featured in every minute of their victorious campaign as he joined a select band of players to have won the European Cup/Champions League and World Cup in the same year.

Now it is a case of third time lucky for United, who a decade after first trying to bring him to Old Trafford, have finally got their man.

Varane – at 28 the ideal age for a defender – could prove to be the missing piece in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s United jigsaw.

The graceful Frenchman is as close to the complete central defender as you will find in European football right now – pacy, calm under pressure, composed on the ball, strong in the air and a good organiser and leader at the back who also reads the game well.

Varane will line up alongside Harry Maguire at the heart of United’s defence next season in a partnership that should complement both men perfectly, while also meaning a watching brief from the bench for Victor Lindelof, who fairly or unfairly, has struggled to win over supporters since his arrival at the club in 2017.bet365 sport. To add to the In-Play excitement, bet365 stream over hundreds of events live to your PC every year. So you can bet as the action unfolds. See all upcoming sport events you can bet at bet experts. Highlights include Masters Series Tennis tournaments and matches from some of the top domestic Soccer leagues in the world. To use the Live Streaming service you need to be log in and have a funded account. Or to have place a bet in the last 24 hours. Any fixture/event on bet365 website and bet365 mobile which has the Play or Video icon is schedule to be show via Live Streaming. bet bg

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