“There is less room for creativity…” Raphaël Varane analyses the current state of modern football

Manchester United defender Raphaël Varane has given his opinion on modern football following his monstrous performance in the Manchester Derby.

Varane, 30, could consider himself unlucky to be on the losing side of the Manchester Derby, as the Frenchman put in a stoic performance for Erik ten Hag and was one of the standout United players.

The World Cup winner’s future at Old Trafford is uncertain as the club is unwilling to renew his contract on the same wages and this has caught the attention of the footballing world, including Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr.

Boasting one of the most illustrious careers for a defender, thanks to his time at Real Madrid, Varane has spent many years at the elite level and as a result has seen the game progress.

Speaking on the VAL foot podcast, United’s No.19 commented on how the beautiful game has changed over the years.

“There is a little less room for creativity, there are fewer number 10s. There are no longer spaces between the lines,” he said.

Perhaps spoilt in his time at Los Blancos with the likes of Kaká and Mesut Özil pulling the strings in the middle of the park, Varane shouldn’t overlook his current midfield maestro Bruno Fernandes.

The defender adds: “There is less dribbling, less touches than before. But the general level is rising, there is no longer an ‘easy match’ at all. “It takes a lot of effort to move the pieces into place.”

The centre-back’s vast volume of experience is exactly why Manchester United shouldn’t let him go too soon.

The club wants a defensive reshuffle under Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS’s tenure, and with their first transfer window fast approaching, they could save themselves a lot of quality and transfer fees by keeping Varane on their books.

Varane could be a good mentor to United’s favourite defensive transfer target Jarrad Branthwaite as more senior players like Jonny Evans and Harry Maguire potentially head to the exit door this summer.