French central defender Raphael Varane has told reporters he wishes to stay at Real Madrid despite interest from former manager Jose Mourinho.
Raphael Varane was upbeat at Real Madrid’s pre-season retreat in Montreal as he took questions about his future with Los Blancos, according to Eurosport.
“I hope I’m allowed to start [the new season] with a clean slate. I want to go forward and keep improving,” said the 23-year-old to reporters in Montreal. “I have fresh motivation after five years at Madrid and hope to make new ground.”
Real Madrid centre-back Raphael Varane has endured a torrid season in the Spanish capital. The Frenchman was unable to break into the starting lineup as he failed to displace either of the two starting centre-backs in Sergio Ramos and Pepe. The former RC Lens defender was restricted to just 26 Liga BBVA appearances for Madrid and didn’t have much of an impact when given the chance to play.
Varane’s time got worse after the end of the league season as he suffered an injury that ruled him out of both the Champions League final and Euro 2016. The Frenchman was understandably disappointed on missing out on his club’s historic UnDecima as well as France’s run to the final at Euro 2016. However, Varane was quick to state that he hoped he could leave all the bad memories behind and focus on his career ahead at Madrid.
“Ending last season without playing in the Champions League or Euro finals was hard for me, but I intend to leave these adversities behind. At Madrid, I have all the conditions to keep improving,” he said.
The central defender was earlier linked with a move to Manchester United to reunite with former manager Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford. It was the Portuguese who brought the Frenchman to Madrid and gave him his first start for the club, but Raphael Varane reportedly refuted an approach from Manchester United, and is now keen to further his career at the Spanish capital.
The 23-year-old reiterated his desire to stay at Madrid to the reporters in Montreal. “This club are a great opportunity for me and I want to stay here,” Varane told the media.
It looks like Varane is intent on fighting for a place in the starting lineup at Real Madrid and Zinedine Zidane might have an important decision to make regarding his centre-back pairing next season.
