Varane opens up on surprise Man Utd exit

Tom Weber

Updated: 17 Oct 2024 19:17 BST
4 min read

Raphael Varane, Man Utd, 2023/24 — © IMAGO

Raphael Varane has opened up about his Manchester United exit and subsequent retirement.

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The French defender departed Old Trafford in the summer in what came as a surprise to many. When Varane was signed in 2021, it was announced that he would be under contract until 2025.

However, in early 2024, reports began emerging that the final year of his contract was not actually guaranteed but rather a club option. Man Utd, looking to cut costs, did not trigger the option and Varane left on a free transfer in the summer after the triumph over Man City in the FA Cup final.

Varane had been a big earner in Manchester, so it came as a shock when he signed for Cesc Fabregas' newly-promoted Serie A outfit Como following his departure from England.

But his adventure in Italy ended almost as soon as it had started. In his first outing for Como, Varane suffered a serious knee injury, which convinced him that it was time to hang up his boots given his history of problems with that area of his body.

Varane opens up on 'eventful' summer

Speaking to L'Equipe, the 2018 World Cup winner has now opened up on his 'eventful' summer, admitting that he planned to continue at Man Utd for longer before realising that 'the club's project didn't suit' him.

“At the start of my last season at Manchester United, I was already telling myself that I would have liked to finish there, to extend the adventure a little further. It didn't happen and the summer was very eventful. With United, I finished with a victory in the FA Cup, but I already knew that the club's project didn't suit me.

“Since the age of 20, I’ve played with a sword of Damocles hanging over my right knee. Managing pressure, knowing my body, knowing when to push the machine, I’ve mastered it perfectly. But over the last three years, I’ve only injured my left knee.

“My right knee had become strong, but less mobile, and my left knee did everything, for power, starts, and impulses. Physically, this injury made me go back into a spiral, and the balance between sacrifices and pleasure was no longer balanced.

“I was looking for something special, and that's how I found Como. Como was a project that stood out, it wasn't exotic nor financially [rewarding] but humanly it made sense, and it still does since I'm going to stay by their side [in a non-playing capacity].

“I also wanted to play only once a week. After pre-season, the family was supposed to follow me to Italy, but when I got injured on August 11, I knew right away that it was over. I was sure of myself because I had anticipated it.”