Erik ten Hag might have just shown he knows the next two transfers Manchester United must make

The sight of Raphael Varane trudging back towards the Etihad Stadium away dressing room five minutes before half-time on Sunday afternoon must have sent a shiver down the spine of every Manchester United supporter.

The Frenchman, who joined United a little over a year ago from Real Madrid, has been a colossus at the back so far this season, forming a promising partnership with summer signing Lisandro Martinez. His presence and leadership qualities have been felt in just about every way imaginable, and that is even before the statistics begin to highlight his importance.

Therefore, it would have been no surprise to anyone when United's supporters feared the worst when he went down with an ankle problem with just over half an hour on the clock. City capitalised on the Frenchman's absence, bagging their second goal while he was still off the pitch receiving treatment, scoring from a corner.

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He was back on his feet and on the pitch in time for Erling Haaland to score his second and the Blues' third three minutes later, but his race was run a few minutes afterwards, being replaced by Victor Lindelof. United, of course, went on to concede a further three goals, meaning they only conceded two of the six they shipped while Varane was on the pitch.

With that statistic in mind, ten of the 14 goals the Reds have conceded in the Premier League so far this season have been when Varane has not been present. Admittedly, you cannot lay the blame for Sunday's horror show at Varane for going off; the damage was done well before that juncture and the signs were there that City were only just getting started.

However, United manager Erik ten Hag is bound to be concerned