Erik ten Hag knows Raphael Varane can't give Manchester United what they want

Raphael Varane signed for Manchester United last summer after a sensational 10-year spell spent at Real Madrid in which he won four Champions Leagues, three La Liga titles and countless other domestic major honours including the 2018 World Cup with France.

United agreed an initial fee of £34million for the player and that seemed like remarkable value considering his stellar record in the game. Real Madrid usually don't allow elite players to leave the club and the move seemed like it was too good to be true.

Varane, smartly dressed wearing a Hugo Boss suit, was unveiled at Old Trafford on the opening day of the season and the anticipation was tangible on the terraces. United had signed Jadon Sancho and Varane and a Premier League title challenge was expected.

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United endured their worst season for decades and recorded their lowest-ever points total in the Premier League instead. Sancho contributed just five goals and three assists while Varane seemed to spend more time in the treatment room than on the pitch.

Varane sustained a groin injury in October playing for France and that issue ruled him out for three games. He made his return against Tottenham but suffered a hamstring injury just one week later and that was just a warning of what was to come.

That injury was more severe and Varane was sidelined for well over a month, only returning to play at Newcastle after Christmas. In the New Year, Varane was sidelined for another five games through a stomach complaint, Covid-19 and muscular problems.

Varane spent 95 days on the sidelines and the season was 282 days long in total, which means he was unavailable for over a third of United's matches.