‘Very tense’ – Erik Ten Hag ‘exiled’ four-time Champions League winner from Man Utd for two months
Former Manchester United defender Raphael Varane has revealed that tensions boiled over with ex-manager Erik Ten Hag in 2023.
Varane, now retired after an illustrious career, was considered a coup for United when he signed in 2021, arriving from Real Madrid after a trophy-laden spell.
Joining at 28 years of age, he was at the perfect stage of his career to make the move to England as he linked up with former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo at Old Trafford.
Injuries restricted him to 20 starts in his debut season but he remained a key figure whenever fit and played all but one of France’s games at the 2022 World Cup. Another leg and foot injury kept him out for two different periods of the following season, but he started 22 times in the league as well as in both domestic cup finals.
However, despite starting four of the seven opening games of the 2023-24 campaign, he failed to register a league start from October until mid-December.
After being an unused substitute against Manchester City in a 3-0 defeat, Ten Hag revealed in his post-match interview that Varane was left out for tactical reasons – when in reality, the pair had engaged in an argument that led to a falling-off.
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Varane explains United exile
Speaking to The Athletic, Varane opened up on the falling out between himself and the manager at the time. “We had a robust discussion,” Varane said.
“We told each other some truths, but then I didn’t play for almost two months.
“I said I didn’t agree with certain ways of doing things regarding the relationship between him and the team.
“It wasn’t something that I thought was good for the team because some of the players weren’t at all satisfied. It was not good in terms of the relationship with the coach.
“He said, ‘OK, I hear what you said’ and after that I didn’t play.”
Expanding further, he explained how the environment wavered during that difficult season in which United finished 8th, as they recorded their worst-ever Premier League finish.
“It’s hard to find the right words,” Varane said. “It was very tense at times.
“Sometimes he made an effort to listen to the players’ feedback. Sometimes he made decisions without listening to the players’ feelings. So there were ups and downs.
“It was complicated at times.”
Varane then departed at the end of the season following his contract expiring and moved to Como in Serie A but managed just one 23-minute appearance before choosing to retire after his ongoing struggles with injuries.
His career saw 22 major trophies for club and country including three Champions League, a World Cup, a UEFA Nations League and three La Liga titles. He peaked in 2018, featuring in the World XI and similar awards after winning multiple trophies alongside that victory with his country.
Ten Hag was dismissed in the early knocking of the current 2024-25 campaign, being replaced by Ruben Amorim who has seen the club’s struggles continue under his tenure.
