Rio Ferdinand has had his say on Manchester United signing Raphael Varane from Real Madrid, commenting that some real questions need to be asked.
A coup has been completed. Manchester United have reached an agreement to make one of their biggest ever signings, with Raphael Varane set to arrive at Old Trafford from Real Madrid. In a summer transfer window wherein the Red Devils have been showing a lot of intent, this move signals winds of change in the positive direction.
Varane’s addition to the Manchester United squad is a major boost for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who has a genuinely world class central defensive partnership to pick now. And theoretically, the French international ought to complement captain Harry Maguire perfectly, creating yet another formidable partnership following years of playing alongside Sergio Ramos at Real Madrid.
However, Rio Ferdinand has exercised caution while opining on Varane’s transfer. As quoted by Goal, the Manchester United legend did express his excitement at the Red Devils landing the 28-year-old from Real Madrid, but also added that some questions need to be asked as well.
Speaking on his FIVE YouTube channel (h/t Goal), Ferdinand said, “On paper it looks a very, very good combination, but he’s got to understand the English game is very different. You’ve got to go to Burnley and places like that. Sometimes it can be up and at ’em, a different style of football in the Premier League to anything he’s played in before. Can he deal with it? They’re the questions he’s going to get asked.”
“Balls getting wrapped around his ear holes, crosses from different angles that he hasn’t seen on a consistent basis in Spain where they play more on the floor, slower football, slower build up. So he’s going to be asked to defend in a different way and that’s where he’s going to have to show his real class, can he adapt? That’s the real question. I genuinely believe he’s got the tools to do that.”
Ferdinand seems to have taken a balanced look at things instead of going gung-ho and simply praising the transfer. And surely enough, it will be interesting to see if Varane can settle down seamlessly in a country known to make things tough for players arriving from La Liga.
Manchester United have themselves fallen prey to the same, with Angel Di Maria enduring a horrific 2014/15 campaign after arriving from Real Madrid. Manchester United fans will hope that Varane does not fall into the same category. For now, the United faithfuls can be excited about the move, with the Real Madrid defender set to undergo his medical soon before completing the switch to Old Trafford.
