When fit probably the best Centre half in the league
Two seasons in, how do you rate the Varane signing?
- Thread starter sullydnl
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Good signing, disappointing to have a few injuries. But has done his job very well when fit, it's not his fault the dysfunction that has often been in front of him.
Jesus what wage is he on? Pretty crazy the amount clubs spend on a single player when you consider the total amount of wages we spend. Sancho must cost us what, £200m?
When he’s fit he’s really good. Best CB we’ve had since Rio and Vidic (I know that’s not a high bar but I do rate him as one of the best CB’s I’ve watched in my time as a United fan) but the injuries are unfortunate. I do think we need to start looking for his successor.
We should avoid buying world cup and European cup winners in their peak years??
I've heard it all now.
Not sure what you expected. I think he's been great. We were excellent at the back, especially centre back last season, taking over OGS Maguire etc debacle. The injuries do concern me though, but hence we need decent cover. He has character and scores important goals too...With Shaw and Lindeholf, we have four v good centre backs, and Maguire who I think is a good player, but unfortunately doesn't seem to be working for him at OT.. maybe he can pursuade us all.
Btw, everyone seems injured nowadays... I wonder what the stat sare for players and injuries over last five seasons, the trends etc... across all of the Pro leagues..
7.5/10 overall, I’d say. Like, good. But we signed Champions League Varane. He should’ve been really good.
As good as Varane is, we should not be so reliant on him as we are. The drop off in cover for both of our CBs is pretty high. Now that Shaw is also injured, we need cover. We'll be playing with Maguire Lindelof partnership before the year is out.
Great value on the transfer fee (35m GBP), but absurdly high wages (like with most of our players) as @Dion mentioned
Was originally bought to be Maguire's centre back partner and they complemented each other well for a while.
He's not as good in a high line as many United fans would believe and I personally feel we should've got Kim Min-jae this summer to upgrade on Varane. We'll probably buy a new RCB within the next couple of transfer windows with this aim in mind.
Was originally bought to be Maguire's centre back partner and they complemented each other well for a while.
He's not as good in a high line as many United fans would believe and I personally feel we should've got Kim Min-jae this summer to upgrade on Varane. We'll probably buy a new RCB within the next couple of transfer windows with this aim in mind.
He is quality, but the injuries are obviously a shame.
We really should have a young talent in already to share his minutes and hopefully reduce the chance of injury to him. SAF would have already had a Jones/Evans/Smalling in sharing his minutes for this exact reason, given the young talent plenty of opportunities for experience in the first team in easier matches along the way.
We really should have a young talent in already to share his minutes and hopefully reduce the chance of injury to him. SAF would have already had a Jones/Evans/Smalling in sharing his minutes for this exact reason, given the young talent plenty of opportunities for experience in the first team in easier matches along the way.
He's been pretty good on the whole - perhaps not as good as his Madrid days but fairly solid nonetheless - a 7/10 signing but his injuries have meant it's more like 5/10. You can't really rely on him in a season.
Not impressed.
I agree with you there. The squad needs some young, new energy.. more Garnacho like energy etc.. across the middle, at the back..
He's a great player, obviously, but he hasn't been particularly great for us nor fit enough. I think we need to stop buying Real's older/injury prone players for huge money. They're a well oiled machine that know when to move players on and seemingly we're happy to go take them.
I don't think he can make a claim for that, sadly. But I was expecting him to be that level when he arrived.
Very good player but too injury prone.
You can't build a top team with a player that breaks down as much as Varane does. Even when he is playing you know it's only a matter of time before he's injured again.
Not reliable enough to be a first choice player sadly.
You can't build a top team with a player that breaks down as much as Varane does. Even when he is playing you know it's only a matter of time before he's injured again.
Not reliable enough to be a first choice player sadly.
I actually think he's excellent considering how often he's out. It's not like he "needs time to get back to speed", he just plays on same high level every time.
Overall, good - because of how often he's out.
Overall, good - because of how often he's out.
Fragile.
Key player, who often needs to carry defense, without a quality depth. Let's not send him to Saudi league that fast, until we fix our defense 100%.
Better value than the Sancho signing.
About £350k a week by all accounts.
He’s our best defender, just a shame he’s struggled so much with injuries.
Such a great player though, just so solid and calm.
Such a great player though, just so solid and calm.
Brilliant defender. Our best CB post Fergie era (Smalling came second). Just concerned about his injury and fitness. Top 5 CB in the league.
We're better off for having had him in the team, there's no doubt about that.
Curious to see how people rate this signing at this point?
On the one hand, he's an obviously class defender who has clearly improved the team.
On the other hand, he has had more than his fair share of injury issues over that time, with him making fewer appearances in either season here than he did in any of his five previous seasons for Madrid.
With him starting the third season off with another injury, I've seen a fair few posters discussing the need for us to sign another CB and/or the possibility of Varane leaving the club at some point, even as early as next summer (in reference to rumours of interest in him from the Saudi league). Which ideally isn't the sort of conversation you'd have around a player after two seasons, even if they're quite arguably your best defender when they play.
With all that considered, how do you rate the signing at this point? Have we just been unlucky with his injuries or is that something we could have anticipated? If you think he will only last another season or two, do you wish we'd identified a more long term option instead or do you think his quality in the games he'll have played over that shorter period fully justifies the signing? Or do you think the concerns are overblown and he'll be here for many seasons yet?
The injury problems seem to go deeper than the actual games he’s missed with an injury. Last season I heard Laurie Whitwell saying that ETH had basically concluded he could only pick for one game/week. And that seems to be an open ended situation. On that basis alone, he can’t be considered a really successful signing. Even though he’s been excellent when available.
Opinions you got yours I got mine that’s what makes a good debate
This. I think if you’d done your research you’d say he’s turned out exactly as expected.
He's obviously a great player when fit but he's just a continuation of the issue we need to change, going for these older and injury/fitness suspect players.
I know we supposedly tried late on to hijack Saliba (although I haven't seen it from a good source) but I look at that as the type of signing we seem so reluctant to do and a big part of why I think we won't get anywhere going for these massive names in their late twenties and thirties. We need to step back, prioritise young, fast, physical imposing players who still have decent technical skills and then actually try to build something instead of going for the expensive short term option every time.
I know we supposedly tried late on to hijack Saliba (although I haven't seen it from a good source) but I look at that as the type of signing we seem so reluctant to do and a big part of why I think we won't get anywhere going for these massive names in their late twenties and thirties. We need to step back, prioritise young, fast, physical imposing players who still have decent technical skills and then actually try to build something instead of going for the expensive short term option every time.
Ah yes, 28 is now not a players peak years.Peak years
My bad.
So-so. Haven't had too many spectacular performances out of him and his injury record is a major concern. However, even his worst performances are fairly steady. He doesn't often self-destruct the way that many of our defenders have tended to in recent years. Given the chronic lack of consistency at the club in so many ways, a steady CB is hardly our biggest concern.
What has that number got to do with it? They’re literally not his peak years. End of.
He was playing for Real Madrid as a teenager. You should look at things as an individual case rather than the modern obsession of a players age being indicative of everything. If you really think he was in his absolute prime when we bought him and his peak years have followed you’re completely delusional.
Our second best player when everyone is fit
Are you honestly saying that Varane when we brought him wasn't at his peak in terms of physicality and footballing aptitude?
A player who had won everything and was coming off a season whereby he played the vast majority of games for Madrid and his national side and was hitting the age whereby players generally hit their physical and mental peak?
Seems a bit strange that.
Very good when fit but not fit often.
Pretty overrated and hugely unreliable considering his rumoured wages.
They're saying that someone who is injured for half the season every season isn't in their peak years. Doesn't matter what your peak years "should" be, Varane clearly isn't in his because he has such significant fitness issues.
1st Season - average
2nd season - started to show why he was Champions League Varane.
Shame about the injuries..
2nd season - started to show why he was Champions League Varane.
Shame about the injuries..
His first season was massively overrated. He was just as bad as the rest of our other defenders. He was given leeway because he was the new toy and has won 4 CL's. He was good last season. His injury history wasn't bad before he came here. I still feel like Madrid must have known something we didn't. I get why we signed him. I was very happy at the time. Based on what we've seen since, I would have rather gone for a younger player. I thought the goal this summer would be to bring in a new CB to challenge/take his spot, but that hasn't happened. Was really hoping for KMJ to come in.
I think we seriously have to look at a replacement next summer. Even if he's decent when he's available, that doesn't matter if he spends 2/3 months of the season out.
I think we seriously have to look at a replacement next summer. Even if he's decent when he's available, that doesn't matter if he spends 2/3 months of the season out.
Good overall, a real shame about his injury proneness