Manchester United have well and truly struggled in recent times. And that is a shocker considering the fact that the club had seemed to be on the right track for so long before the wheels came off for them. Coming into the 2021/22 season, there was a feeling of excitement around the club that had not been there for years.
They had finished second in the previous campaign and added the likes of Raphael Varane, Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho to their ranks. Thus, it appeared that a title challenge could be brewing at Old Trafford.
Reality has been very different to stay the least. The club took a major step back, failing to qualify for the Champions League and not winning a single trophy for the fifth straight season.
One of the major disappointments was Varane. He was brought in with hopes that he would help transform the club’s defence into one of the best in the league. But the French World Cup winner struggled with both form and fitness, and did not make the impact that was expected of him. And it looks like his worries have continued.
Manchester United superstar suffers injury on international duty
Varane was forced off the pitch while representing the French national team against Denmark. And since then, they have announced on Twitter that he won’t feature in the next three games due to a muscular pain in the left thigh and will be replaced by Ibrahima Konate:
𝙆𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙚́ 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙑𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙚
— Equipe de France ⭐⭐ (@equipedefrance) June 4, 2022
Raphaël Varane (douleur musculaire à la cuisse gauche) ne pourra pas participer aux 3 prochains matchs des Bleus. Didier Deschamps le remplace par Ibrahima Konaté ! #FiersdetreBleus pic.twitter.com/eNRxkRtONn
It remains to be seen how serious the injury is for Varane but this cannot be good news by any stretch of the imagination.
One can only hope that it is not another long-term issue and Varane is fit to feature as soon as possible. If Manchester United are to succeed under the management of Erik ten Hag, they will need the French World Cup winner at his best.