Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has said that Raphael Varane has been going through some tough drills in his own individual training programme in order to recover from his fitness issues at Manchester United.
29-year-old Varane has struggled to make a run of appearances for United since he joined the club last summer, featuring in just 28 of a total 47 games in the 2021/22 season due to multiple reasons.
Sometimes it was injuries, but other times it was due to health issues.
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Ten Hag spoke ahead of United’s Premier League opener against Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday and said that a lot of efforts had been taken into figuring out a tailor-made training routine to help Varane.
On being asked about whether he thinks the best is yet to come from Varane, Ten Hag told Manchester United’s official website, “100 percent, I am convinced of that.
“During pre-season we built a real careful and individual training plan that in the last three weeks he has been involved in every session on the pitch.
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“I am really happy about that.”
Varane has won almost everything there is to win as a player in the game, including trophies at club as well as international level.
With Lisandro Martinez joining to provide more cover in United’s defence and competition to Varane, Ten Hag has been impressed with what he has seen from the Frenchman.
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“You see him growing, his fitness levels and also his performances levels too.”, said Ten Hag.
“I am happy about that as at the moment, Rapha will be fit and it is a huge boost for both the squad and the team.”
Back in July, Ten Hag had said that Harry Maguire is his first choice centre-back.
The Dutchman said, “Harry has proved it in the past, but he has also to prove it in the present and in the future. I will support him everywhere I can.
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“In the end, he has to do it by himself, and he has the qualities to do it. He’s shown it so often in the past.
"He’s played 60 (46) times for England. Harry is really impressive and I expect a lot from him.
“But there is also internal competition and that is what a club like United needs. You cannot win with 11 players. We need a squad, especially this season with so many games.
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“We have the Europa League, the Premier League and the World Cup. So we need a full squad with high-quality players, not quantity.”
Topics: Manchester United, Raphael Varane, Erik Ten Hag, Brighton And Hove Albion, Premier League, Football, Lisandro Martinez, Harry Maguire
Mudeet Arora