Varane WILL adapt to English football comfortably, insists Arsenal legend

Martin Macdonald

• Updated: 23 May 2023 08:54 CDT
• 4 min read

Raphael Varane will comfortably adapt to life in the Premier League, according to former Arsenal star Robert Pires.

Manchester United are yet to officially confirm the acquisition of Varane, but he is expected to sign from Real Madrid for around £41 million within the coming days.

The French defender, who has won multiple Champions League titles, La Liga titles, as well as World Cup with Les Bleus, has a trophy cabinet that most players his age can only dream off.

However, there are those within the English media that believe he is in for a rude awakening due to the physicality of the Premier League.

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Danny Mills, who won the League Cup with Middlesbrough in 2004, to his credit, thinks World Cup winner Varane will struggle.

Rio Ferdinand meanwhile thinks Varane will succeed, but warned him against the perils of facing Burnley away.

"On paper it looks a very, very good combination [Varane and Maguire], but he’s got to understand the English game is very different," he said on his FIVE YouTube channel

"You’ve got to go to Burnley and places like that.

"Sometimes it can be up and at ’em, a different style of football in the Premier League to anything he’s played in before.

"Can he deal with it? They’re the questions he’s going to get asked.

"Balls getting wrapped around his ear holes, crosses from different angles that he hasn’t seen on a consistent basis in Spain where they play more on the floor, slower football, slower build up.

"So he’s going to be asked to defend in a different way and that’s where he’s going to have to show his real class, can he adapt? That's the real question.

"I genuinely believe he’s got the tools to do that."

Pires supports Varane

Varane has received support from his compatriot Pires, though, who reckons the former Real Madrid man will form a formidable partnership with Harry Maguire.

"Yes, Raphael will certainly adapt to English football," he said, as reported by Manchester Evening News.

"Surely there will be matches in which he will suffer physical clashes, but he is now a player of great experience. I see him well paired with Maguire, they will form an excellent duo."

Former Arsenal star Pires is also surprised that Real Madrid have let him go in the same window as Sergio Ramos, who was allowed to leave on a free to Paris Saint-Germain.

"On my part, there was a bit of surprise," he revealed.

"In my opinion, president Florentino Perez wants to renew his team, but replacing Ramos and Varane will not be easy. For sure, the signing of David Alaba is a good choice.”