Manchester United have Raphael Varane transfer decision to make

Manchester United fielded six different centre-back combinations in their first 10 games in front of the newly-arrived Andre Onana.

That number has increased with Luke Shaw’s return from injury as the debate over the best pairing continues. At the start of the season, it was unanimously accepted that Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez would be the first picks.

Martinez, injured for the rest of the year, may still lay his claim but Varane has dropped down Erik ten Hag’s pecking order. Harry Maguire has performed sturdily since he got his break back in the side after a summer when he was stripped of the captaincy.

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However, few United fans see the England international as a long-term option and there is a sense this purple patch is just that rather than a return to form. At the same time, questions hang over Varane.

Ten Hag has made no secret of his desire of using a player who is comfortable as the left-sided centre-back, preferably those who can use their left foot, hence Shaw’s central morphing.

It’s a damning indictment of United’s recruitment that Victor Lindelof is the centre-half with most appearances this season while 35-year-old Jonny Evans, in his swan-song years, is only three matches behind Varane’s total.

There is the real possibility that Varane, 30, does not have as long a career as Evans. The defender missed Wednesday’s 2-1 win over Chelsea with what United say was a sore back, his third setback of the season. Since joining United in 2021, the number of injuries touched double figures.

Varane’s knee injury last year almost cost his plane ticket to the World Cup finals in Qatar, where he