Raphaël Varane’s true feelings on Man Utd exit revealed, concerning Old Trafford trend continues

Legendary centre-back Raphaël Varane departed Manchester United at the end of the last season and has since hung up his boots.

Raphaël Varane joined Manchester United in the summer of 2021 under Ole Gunnar Solskjær and was viewed as a key signing for a title-pushing team.

Alongside the additions of Jadon Sancho and Cristiano Ronaldo, it seemed like the Reds won be able to properly compete for the title after finishing second the season beforehand.

Of course, we all know that this never occurred. United finished sixth in the Premier League that season and Solskjær was sacked mid-season, with Ralf Rangnick taking the reigns until the end of the campaign.

Despite the difficulties that United would go through in the following years, Varane stayed and become a fan-favourite during his time at the club.

Injury troubles prevented the Frenchman from having a larger impact at Old Trafford, but he still managed to produce some brilliant defensive performances, especially alongside Lisandro Martínez in the centre of the defence.

Varane won two trophies at the club, but ended up leaving at the end of his contract last summer. His final game for the club was in the 2-1 win against Manchester City in the FA Cup final.

Varane’s true feelings on United exit

Throughout last season, there were many rumours about the future of Varane and that he could remain at the club if he signed a new contract with reduced wages.

In the end, it was a late decision that the defender would not have a contract offered to him and he ultimately signed for Italian side Como. He retired shortly afterwards due to an injury but now sits on the club’s board.

There has not been much said about Varane’s exit from United. The defender recently admitted that “the project didn’t suit me”.

However, a report from the Manchester Evening News reveals that the 31-year-old was ‘dismayed’ by the handling of his departure in the summer.

Varane was being advised by PR adviser Caroline McAteer at the time. Ms McAteer represents Ronaldo, Sancho and Marcus Rashford – three players who had all fell out with Erik ten Hag.

United exits have concerning trend

Varane’s exit was the right decision in the end, with the defender needing to hang up his boots through injury shortly afterwards anyway.

However, there seems to be a concerning trend in the way that United have handled big name departures in recent years.

Sancho and Ronaldo were both essentially booted out of the door, rightly or wrongly, while David de Gea and Varane both had drawn-out contract negotiations.

Now, Marcus Rashford looks to be the latest high profile player to have a bitter departure from the club he has been at since he was a young boy.

It is quite easy to argue that all of these players needed to leave the club at the time they did, and United’s hands were sometimes forced in the case of Ronaldo, whose blockbuster interview with Piers Morgan almost made the club’s decision for them.

Read More: Cristiano Ronaldo slams Erik ten Hag for recent Man United comments – “You cannot say that”

However, you also have to admit that it is not a good look to see so many unhappy exits for top level players in a short amount of time. Should United raise the funds for a world class signing in the summer, will this have an impact on how that player views the club?

It may only be slightly, but the new regime at Old Trafford should be having a look at this and make sure it doesn’t become even more of a trend.

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