Raphael Varane proved his point with and without the ball for Manchester United at Liverpool

Individual awards are sometimes accepted on behalf of the collective and that was the case with Raphael Varane as the Manchester United coach pulled away from Anfield.

Varane took a picture of the man of the match tube he had been presented with and tagged teammates Andre Onana, Diogo Dalot, Jonny Evans and Luke Shaw on his Instagram Story.

In a rock-steady back five, Varane was the conductor and the vocalist against Liverpool. As privileged as Scott McTominay was to have donned the armband, United's de facto captain was Varane.

When Varane speaks, players listen. He singlehandedly ushered his defensive teammates towards the halfway line in the first half and Mohamed Salah was flagged by the linesman. United trapped Liverpool offside four times.

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Evans, five years Varane's senior, was also a constant communicator. The ardent Dalot was defensively flawless and Salah moved infield after an hour, an acknowledgment that Shaw had done a number on him.

Varane was the worthy recipient of the individual accolade. He was assured on his return to the starting XI against Bayern Munich last week and his selection against Liverpool was signposted when he was withdrawn as United conceded defeat in staying in Europe.

How puzzling that, before the Bayern loss, Varane had started one game in 13. His durability has been a recurring issue throughout his United career and Erik ten Hag must have tired of the 30-year-old's setbacks.

Varane has missed matches through a muscular problem, lack of rest, illness and a sore back already this season. Before last week, he was concerned he was being pushed out.