Raphael Varane has no regrets about joining Manchester United, despite a difficult first season at Old Trafford being compounded by former club Real Madrid winning the Champions League.
There was a sense of optimism around the Red Devils last summer when the France international followed Jadon Sancho in joining a club that had just finished as Premier League and Europa League runners-up.
Varane enjoyed an unforgettable welcome at a packed Old Trafford before a convincing victory against rivals Leeds and the return of former Real team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo added expectation.
But things soon went awry for United. Poor results led to the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and interim replacement Ralf Rangnick only managed to lead the side to sixth, while injuries restricted the defender to just 20 league starts. “It was not the best season, the best results,” Varane told the PA news agency. “Obviously I wanted to play a little bit more but that’s part of football and we’re looking forward for the next season. “I think the confidence was something important and we lost the confidence when we lost some games. “I think a lot of things we could do better and obviously we want to improve for the next season.