Dimitar Berbatov urges Raphael Varane to follow example of Manchester United teammate

Former Manchester United forward Dimitar Berbatov has urged Raphael Varane to follow the example of his teammate Harry Maguire and embrace the challenge being posed to him by Erik ten Hag.

Varane has been a notable absentee for United in recent matches as Ten Hag assesses his options in defence. Against Manchester City, it was expected the Frenchman would partner Maguire at the back but the Reds' boss opted for Jonny Evans instead.

Since then, the 30-year-old has had to settle with a place on the bench and making cameo appearances. Being utilised in this way has led to Varane being linked with transfers elsewhere, most prominently to Saudi Arabia for a reunion with Cristiano Ronaldo.

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Speaking to Betfair, Berbatov is hopeful Varane will stay at Old Trafford but feels he may need to accept the challenge put in front of him by Ten Hag to do so. "I don't want Raphael Varane to leave, he's still a good defender," the 42-year-old explained.

"Football has shown us that players like Varane and Casemiro, they’ve both come from Real Madrid and started well, but suddenly something can happen, and they get a dip in form. Erik ten Hag can be very strict in these scenarios, Jonny Evans is 35 years old and is still playing ahead of Varane.

"Ten Hag doesn't care how old you are, if you're disciplined and professional in training, you will play. Varane needs to accept this challenge. He’s a winner and won everything, but now he's being watched under Ten Hag and Varane can't rely on his name to guarantee a starting spot in the team.

"On the other hand, if Varane isn’t happy with the playing time