Two injuries in two weeks – Should Man Utd be worried about Varane?
Robin Bairner
- 3 Nov 2021 07:02 CDT
- 3 min read
Raphael Varane’s arrival at Manchester United from Real Madrid in the summer was greeted with the fanfare expected when a World Cup winner is signed.
On the field, too, Varane has looked a commanding presence for Man Utd when fit and available.
Introduced to the Old Trafford crowd prior to the Premier League opener against Leeds on the opening day of the season, Varane has played nine of the 15 fixtures he has been available for.
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However, that ratio is set to dip due to an injury he sustained in the Champions League meeting with Atalanta on Tuesday. It was a problem that forced him off the field after just 38 minutes.
Assessing the nature of the issue after the game, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said: “First look at it, is he felt his hamstring. We have to look at him on Wednesday. But he felt his hamstring as he ran tightening up. So he didn't want to risk anything. First assessment doesn't look good but we'll assess him again tomorrow and fingers crossed.”
Varane has had a disjointed start to his Manchester United career because of a groin issue that he sustained playing for France in October.
Man Utd without Varane - 2021/22
| Date | Opponent | Competition | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Aug | Leeds (h) | League | 5-1 |
| 22 Sept | West Ham (h) | League Cup | 0-1 |
| 16 Oct | Leicester (a) | League | 2-4 |
| 24 Oct | Liverpool (h) | League | 0-5 |
It was enough to keep him out of three club fixtures, during which Man Utd conceded four to Leicester, two against Atalanta and five to Liverpool.
Clearly Man Utd have suffered without Varane, in part due to Harry Maguire’s fragile form, but is it the beginning of a worrying trend for the 28-year-old?
Varane’s injury history
Varane has a strong history of avoiding injuries throughout his career and especially in the last four years.
Indeed, between the start of 2017/18 and the end of his Real Madrid career in August 2021, he missed only 15 matches because of injury problems. He sat out another five because of illness, including a bout of Covid in April that saw him miss four fixtures.
Earlier in his career, there were signs of greater fragility, including a couple of knee injuries that kept him out for five and two months respectively. He appears to be well over each of those.
Varane’s history, then, suggests that these recent issues are not typical of a player who in the recent past has missed no more than a handful of games per season. Man Utd will be closely monitoring the situation, though.
