Emerging statistic proves just how valuable Raphael Varane and Casemiro are to Manchester United

When Raphael Varane joined Manchester United in the summer of 2021, it was an incredible moment for the fans of the football club.

For a fee of around £27 million, Varane’s Manchester United announcement was rather spectacular – walking out ahead of kick-off on 14 August in a suit holding his new Red Devil attire before watching Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men completely dismantle Leeds United 5-1.

And almost exactly one year later, his old Real Madrid teammate Casemiro followed suit, also walking out onto the Old Trafford pitch in a black suit holding the famous jersy, before Manchester United emerged victorious against Liverpool in a 2-1 victory – Erik ten Hag‘s first competitive victory as Manchester United manager.

The two players, who between them have nine Champions League medals to their names, were absoltely core to Real Madrid’s brilliant sides over the last decade, with Casemiro forming one of the greatest midfield trios anyone has ever witnessed alongside Toni Kroos and Luka Modric, and Varane’s almost impenetrable duo act with Serigo Ramos just behind them.

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And, after just a few months, they have replicated this exact importance under Erik ten Hag at Manchester United, too.

Varane and Casemiro, so far this season, have played a total of 487 minutes together so far in the Premier League. Due to a mix of injury and rotation this is not the maximum amount of time they could have played together, however there is one incredible statistic that jumps out from their time together:

In these 487 minutes, they are yet to concede a Premier League goal.

A leaky defence has plagued issues within Manchester United for the better part of a decade, with last minute goals being conceded, opposition players scoring against the run of play, and mistakes being made fairly consistently over the last few seasons.

With these two world class players coming into the side and creating an environment where goals become almost impossible to score against Manchester United, this is the first stepping stone in creating a truly formidable side.

Casemiro has formed a quick and strong bond with Christian Eriksen, and Raphael Varane is working brilliantly so far this season alongside Lisandro Martinez. They have settled themselves straight into the XI and the squad are so much better for it.

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Although the pair may not be fighting for league titles and Champions League glory like they have been used to at Real Madrid, with the pair of them starting each week for Manchester United, they may well be on their way to placing the club back to it’s former glory.