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Hugo Lloris has revealed the truth behind why Raphael Varane struggled so much at Manchester United, particularly in terms of staying fit.
Just this week, Varane announced his retirement from football at just 31 years of age.
While he had recently signed for Italy’s Como 1907 after leaving Man United at the end of last season, Varane was injured just 23 minutes into his debut with the club. Unfortunately, the strain to the flexor muscle in his thigh meant that he would be ruled out for the rest of the season, a setback that made him seriously reconsider his future.
As United fans were well aware, this was the latest in an extensive list of injuries that had plagued the former World Cup winner, with his tenure at Old Trafford also being marred with injury setbacks and struggles to get fit.
Having been an impressive centre-back under Erik ten Hag, many United fans are probably wondering why he didn’t feature more for United, playing just 95 matches in all competitions in three seasons at Old Trafford. Varane’s former France teammate Hugo Lloris has revealed the truth behind Varane’s troubled career.
“When he was on the pitch we didn’t lose very often. He had this reassuring aspect, and besides what we showed on the pitch, there was everything we saw behind the scenes.” Lloris explained.
“We saw him fight against his physique and follow his bodybuilding and injury prevention programmes, which took a lot of time, energy, and effort. He constantly fought against his body. He pushed the machine to its capacity, and it’s remarkable. He constantly pushed his limits.”
Ultimately, it appears as if Varane’s injury issues were simply the result of a body that was heavily injury-prone rather than something that he or the club was specifically doing wrong.
Still, United fans would be disappointed that the club was not able to get more out of the world-class defender who paired up with Lisandro Martinez to deliver the team to an FA Cup victory last season against Manchester City.
While Ten Hag and his medical team can be acquitted of mismanagement when it comes to Varane, one cannot look past the injury issues that continue to plague United to this day.
New signing Leny Yoro is still out due to his injury in pre-season, as is Luke Shaw.
Fortunately, new signings Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui have done well to compensate, with both players integrating seamlessly into their new club.
With the match against Tottenham Hotspur scheduled for tomorrow and the Europa League underway, United’s season is in full swing, meaning that the club will need to avoid a repeat of last season’s injury crisis to have any chance of chasing silverware.
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