Former Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has labelled Raphael Varane the one who achieved the most of all the players who made their breakthrough under the three-time Premier League winning manager.
Mourinho certainly wasn’t lacking in options when the question was put to him by Sky Italia.
The one-time Old Trafford chief could have opted for, say, Arjen Robben, Fabio Carvalho or John Obi Mikel. Three who became household names under him at Chelsea. Or, perhaps, Nacho or Alvaro Morata, to who made their name during Mourinho’s tenure at Real Madrid.
As far as the iconic head coach is concerned, however, Raphael Varane’s trophy haul speaks for itself. A grizzled veteran at Manchester United these days, Varane was still a teenager when he joined Mourinho’s The whites side from Lens over a decade ago, before going on to win almost everything there is to win in European and world footbal.
Jose Mourinho hails Raphael Varane
“Varane has done everything,” Mourinho explains. “He won three Champions Leagues, he was world champion with France, captain until he stopped playing (for Blues).
“He’s the one who reached the highest of all (my former youngsters).”
Still only 30, Varane has plenty of juice left in the tank, even if his long-term future appears to life away from Manchester United. Erik ten Hag’s preference for centre-halves capable of starting attacks as well as stopping them means Varane appears in danger of becoming something of a persona non grata at Old Trafford, falling behind Victor Lindelof, Jonny Evans and the in-form Harry Maguire for the Red Devils.
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Bayern Munich and a number of Saudi Arabian clubs are reportedly interested.
But could Varane’s silver-coated career come full circle with a return to Lens? That feels unlikely, given the sheer size of his wages, but Lens coach Franck Haise would certainly welcome the opportunity to rescue one of the most decorated defenders of the modern era from life on the United bench.
“If Varane wants to return, we will welcome him with open arms,” Haise smiles, via Transfer market.
“However, with the contract, it’s another thing. I read that it would also be complicated for Bayern Munich to pay his salary. And if it (difficult) for them…
“But maybe he wants to come back. I don’t know. Who knows? However, it is not a current debate to be addressed now.”
