Rafael Varane left Real Madrid in 2021. This was after a decade of massive success at Real Madrid. Now the Frenchman talks about his time with Erik ten Hag.
Ten Hag is not present to respond to Varane’s version, but it supports the impression we have of the uncompromising Dutchman as United manager.
For a period in the autumn of 2023, Varane was often scrapped, without quite understanding what he had to do to get into the starting eleven.
“We had a big conversation, where we told each other things we thought, but then I didn’t play for almost two months. I said that I didn’t agree with certain things to do about the relationship between him and the team. It was something I thought was not good for the team, because some of the players were not happy at all,” begins The Athletic.
“It wasn’t good when it came to the relationship with the coach. He said: ‘Okay, I hear what you’re saying’, and after that I didn’t play,” the Frenchman continues.
“It’s hard to find the right words. It was very strained at times. Sometimes he made an effort to listen to players’ feedback. Other times, he made decisions without listening to the players’ feelings. So there were ups and downs. It was complicated at times,” Varane recalls.
Complicated at times. Sounds like a decent summary.
