Raphael Varane was unveiled at Old Trafford against Leeds on Saturday 14th August. There was something strange about his unveiling at Old Trafford. It was awkward because players don’t get announced like that regularly. It was also perplexing because Old Trafford has not had 100 percent capacity for around 18 months. The biggest reason why it was perplexing is that he is going to wear number 19. It was perplexing as Varane wears number 4 for France and, an injury-prone player in Phil Jones kept his shirt number. Below are reasons why he should have number 4 for Manchester United instead of Phil Jones.
It would be a sign of ruthlessness from Manchester United
Manchester United has a bloated squad because they struggled to get rid of deadwood. When talking about deadwood, we don’t mean any disrespect to any player because every player at United deserves equal respect. Deadwood refers to players who have had their time at United and aren’t good enough at this moment in time. Names of deadwood include Jesse Lingard, Phil Jones, Dan James, Andreas Pereira, and Juan Mata. The fact that United has kept all of the deadwood shows they aren’t ruthless and, taking the number 4 of Phil Jones is a sign of being harsh.
The quality and experience that Varane offers Manchester United in contrast to Phil Jones
Raphael Varane will bring a wealth of quality to United’s back-four. Varane’s CV consists of three La Liga’s, four Champions Leagues, and a world cup. One of Varane’s strengths is his ability to defend in transition. His capability to prevent attacks in transition means that he can stop counterattacks. Varane is good at stopping counterattacks because of a combination of supreme athleticism and reading of the game.
The lack of quality that Jones offers Manchester United in contrast to Varane
Phil Jones has been at Manchester United for close to 10 years. During his ten years at the club, he has become out of favour and more injury-prone. Ole has given four other centre-backs game time ahead of him. Another reason he is out of favour is the mistakes he has made during his time at United. One notable mistake he made was giving away a penalty in the 2018 FA cup final. The addition of Varane will make it harder for Phil Jones to get more game time which will dent his confidence.
Conclusion
Varane not having the shirt number he wears for France sends out the wrong message. It sends out the message that they are sympathetic to a player who hardly plays.
