Raphael Varane has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester United. Reports suggest a move is close to fruition. If it does indeed go ahead, it's a transfer that could have a big impact on this season's Premier League title race.
At 28, Varane is one of the leading central defenders in football today. He has won multiple Champions Leagues and La Liga titles during his time with Real Madrid, not to mention the 2018 World Cup with France.
With centre-back being an area of priority for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Varane's arrival could seriously improve United's title chances. Here, we analyse the player, how he compares to Solskjaer's current options, and how he might complement Harry Maguire.
ANALYSING VARANE
Varane's greatest strength is his speed. He is fast for a centre-back, and particularly effective in one-versus-one scenarios. When isolated, he is able to keep up with attackers and wait for the right moment to interject.
Against Chelsea in last season's Champions League semi-final, he showed this quality consistently as his team's press was broken. The following sequence provides one example. Varane is overloaded by two Chelsea attackers, so he positions himself to block the ball-player's route to goal and leaves the pass to Timo Werner open.
The pass to Werner is played. Now Varane is up against one of the quickest forwards in the Premier League in a one-v-one. He shows Werner wide, challenging his opponent to try and beat him for pace around the outside.
Having delayed the attack, reduced the options and forced Werner wide, Varane goes to block the shot. He isn't able to make a clean block, but he does enough to significantly narrow Werner's angle, forcing him to shoot into the side-netting.
Varane combines his speed with patience and anticipation, all of which make him an excellent covering defender. These traits also mean he is capable of nipping in and intercepting. In the next sequence we see an example of this.
Inter Milan are on the attack and come inside from the right. Lautaro Martinez (No.10) lingers on the edge of the penalty box waiting to receive the ball. Varane spots him and subtly begins to move closer.
By the time the pass to Martinez is made, Varane is able to step in and intercept. The immediate danger is thwarted, and the attack comes to a premature end.
Varane's defensive awareness makes him a good penalty box defender, too. While not particularly dominant, he is good in the air, owing a lot to his 6ft 3in stature. This, combined with his ability to see the threats coming before they materialise, allows him to mitigate problems in his own penalty area.
The next sequence shows Real Madrid about to defend a cross from the right-hand side, again from their Champions League win over Inter Milan. Varane has a quick look around, before the cross comes in, and finds the opponent he needs to pick up.
Once the cross is played, he is close to his man. And, having read the situation and marked up, he then wins the aerial duel and clears the ball out of his penalty box.
Of course, like all players, Varane has his limitations. While quick, tall and an astute reader of the game, he isn't particularly strong physically. Nor is he an exceptional ball-player. His short passing is fine, but he isn't a hugely ambitious or accurate long-range passer.
HOW DOES HE COMPARE TO UNITED'S EXISTING OPTIONS?
Manchester United's current first-choice centre-backs are Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof. This is the pairing Solskjaer went for most last season, and whom he would likely continue with in the absence of Varane.
Compared to Maguire, Varane is not as strong, as dominant in the air, or as aggressive and effective in closing down. According to WhoScored, last season he made fewer tackles and interceptions. He also won fewer aerial duels, though he did win a slightly higher percentage of those duels he did contest.
However, Varane's tackle versus dribbled past percentage of 71% is very close to Maguire's 72.5%, and much higher than Lindelof's 64.7%. This backs up the eye test finding that Varane is a solid 1v1 defender, difficult to beat because of his speed and timing.
What may surprise people is that Varane is more Lindelof than Maguire as a ball-player. While Maguire can make mistakes, he is capable of running the ball forward and he can pick out a teammate with an accurate switch of play. Varane keeps it simple, which explains why (1) his pass success percentage is higher than Maguire's, and (2) he averages fewer successful long balls.
WHY VARANE'S PARTNERSHIP WITH MAGUIRE COULD WORK
Varane may not be as strong, assertive or aerially dominant as Maguire, but he is better in all of these aspects than Lindelof. At worst, he will improve upon Manchester United's existing central defensive weak link. Also, compared to Lindelof, Varane brings extra height (he is one inch taller) and aerial ability, which may help them reduce the number of goals they concede from set pieces.
As a bonus, Varane could complement Maguire almost perfectly. Centre-back is one of the few remaining areas in football where partnerships remain extremely important - most top teams have moved away from two-man striker and two-man central midfield systems, but the back four remains the defensive chain of choice with some iteration of 4-3-3 still the most popular formation at the elite level of European football.
Maguire is a front-foot defender who relishes physical contact, but he is slow on the turn. Varane is not as strong or aggressive, but is quicker to cover and is excellent in 1v1s where the attacker is facing him. Maguire takes some risks with the ball, driving it forward or playing long switches. Varane keeps it simple, preferring to retain than progress.
Each player can make up for the other's deficiencies. That, quite often, is the basis for a good partnership. It may not reach the levels of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, but if Varane joins Manchester United may finally have a centre-back pairing of title-winning calibre.
