Raphael Varane has today officially announced his international retirement and in this article, I will outline my opinion on why this is good news for Manchester United.
Merci pour tout 💙🤍♥️ pic.twitter.com/FUk4zZWFpt
— Raphaël Varane (@raphaelvarane) February 2, 2023
Varane, who 93 caps for his country, last played for France in the World Cup final and the defender played a remarkable 113 minutes against Argentina in what was an unbelievable effort because prior to the tournament, the Frenchman suffered a injury away to Chelsea, which threatened to rule out his participation in the World Cup.
The 29-year-old has enjoyed a remarkable career for the French national team, which culminating in him helping his team win the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, in which he played every game, and the former Real Madrid man played a key role in helping France reach the 2022 World Cup final, however, you could argue that his retirement from international football is France’s loss and United’s gain.
The news that Varane has called time on his international career will come as a welcome boost for United fans because last season, the Frenchman struggled with injuries, missing 16 games last season [Transfermarkt] and the fact that he will no longer report for national duty as a player, it means that he will not run the risk of getting injured, which is good from a United perspective because he is an extremely important player for Erik ten Hag and Man United.
With Varane not in the France ranks anymore, it gives ten Hag the luxury to play him more matches, and it is fair to say that the United number 19 has put his injury worries behind him as he has started 13 Premier League games so far this season [Transfermarkt].
MANCHESTER IS REDDDDD !! ⚔️🔴 pic.twitter.com/N4oisYvBed
— Raphaël Varane (@raphaelvarane) January 14, 2023
It is also good news from a United perspective that Varane has retired because it means that he gets to spend more time on the training pitch, which allows him to get to understand the manager’s methods and style of play a lot better, and this can only be a good thing.