‘We told each other some truths but then I didn’t play’ – Raphaël Varane on fall-out with Erik Ten Hag at Manchester United | OneFootball

In an interview with The Athletic journalist Charlotte Harpur, former RC Lens, Real Madrid, and Manchester United defender Raphaël Varane (31) spoke about his time with the Red Devils, and notably a fall-out with head coach Erik Ten Hag last season, precipitating his departure from Old Trafford. In the 2022-2023 season, Varane was a regular in Erik Ten Hag’s starting XI, but he fell out of favour with the Dutchman. “We had a robust discussion,” Varane told The Athletic. “We told each other some truths but then I didn’t play for almost two months. I said I didn’t agree with certain ways of doing things regarding the relationship between him and the team. It wasn’t something that I thought was good for the team because some of the players were not at all satisfied. It was not good in terms of the relationship with the coach.”During the period Ten Hag told the media that it was for ‘tactical reasons’ that the Frenchman was not involved, with many believing that Varane couldn’t cope with Ten Hag’s demands in playing in a high line. Although he admitted that he did not feel he was being made an example of, but that he did with other players. “He always needed an example of a player who was alone the entire time he was at Manchester. He did that with at least one important player on the team. He was always in conflict with certain leaders of the group. That is his way of managing.”Varane retired from international football at the age of just 29 in February 2023. However, despite decreasing his workload, injuries remained frequent. The Frenchman left Manchester United upon the expiry of his contract last summer, joining newly promoted Serie A side Como on a free transfer. After joining Cesc Fabgregas’ side he suffered a severe knee injury which prompted the 2018 World Cup winner to retire. GFFN | George Boxall