Former Tottenham and Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood has blasted Manchester United defender Raphael Varane, claiming he has been ‘terrible’.
Speaking on Sky Sports, as relayed by the Daily Mail, Tim Sherwood has urged Manchester United to axe summer signing Raphael Varane from the starting lineup, claiming that the Frenchman has been terrible since his arrival.
Manchester United signed Varane from Real Madrid last summer in a big-money deal. One of the most accomplished defenders in the game, the Frenchman arrived at Old Trafford having won almost every trophy with Real Madrid and the French national team. He was tipped to take this Red Devils side to the next level with his experience and winning mentality.
However, that has not been the case as Varane has struggled to settle down in his first season in England due to injury problems and the lack of a reliable partner at the back, as the likes of Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire have been inconsistent in the season.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup winner has put in a few classy performances here and there, but they have not come consistently. And now Sherwood has called for his head, backing Lindelof and Maguire to form a better partnership at the heart of the Manchester United defence.
United lost 5-0 to LFC, 4-1 to Watford and 4-2 to LCFC, with Maguire and Lindelof as our CB pairing. But yeah Varane is the problem… ??♂️
— Jay Motty (@JayMotty) February 20, 2022
“It’s about the best partnership with centre-backs. Harry Maguire is better with Victor Lindelof. If we talk about Raphael Varane, he’s got off the hook because he’s been terrible. He’s been terrible since coming to the club,” the former Tottenham and Aston Villa manager turned pundit said.
“You’ve got Maguire who wants to defend the halfway line and Varane who wants to defend up there, so they’re not level with each other. When Lindelof played the other night [in the 2-0 win over Brighton], United looked better, they looked better with those two. It’s about finding the best partnership but then the manager has to be strong and leave out a player who’s won the Champions League and the World Cup,” he added.
Varane did not start against Brighton last time out due to a stomach bug, with Lindelof starting alongside Maguire in that contest. While they were not entirely convincing, Manchester United did manage a clean sheet against the Seagulls. With Varane back fit ahead of the game against Leeds later on Sunday, it will be interesting to see if Ralf Rangnick takes Sherwood’s advice and sticks with Lindelof and Maguire.