Quality player, but it’s time to go.

Brilliant player and if we could guarantee he’d play most of the games next season I’d keep him in a heartbeat. We really need to get a solid partnership going now as yesterday showed how well we can play with a top one.

Sad really but he had plenty of injuries before we signed him.

Overall probably not a great decision to bring him in on the fee and wages, but a top defender when 100% fit.

A brilliant final performance yesterday to say goodbye

If he stays and wants to sign pay when you play, I will give him 3 years.

comment by scholayScholes (U13961)
posted 4 seconds ago
If he stays and wants to sign pay when you play, I will give him 3 years.
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Totally agree but I don’t think for a second he would accept that.

You have a squad full of big time Charlie’s that only turn up when it suits them. You can sometimes carry a couple such players, but not 20.

comment by The Process (U20671)
posted 2 minutes ago
comment by scholayScholes (U13961)
posted 4 seconds ago
If he stays and wants to sign pay when you play, I will give him 3 years.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totally agree but I don’t think for a second he would accept that.
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He is not going to of course. The Saudi's probably have offered him more money than he is currently on.

comment by WeekendOffender (U22920)
posted 3 minutes ago
You have a squad full of big time Charlie’s that only turn up when it suits them. You can sometimes carry a couple such players, but not 20.
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He’s one of the rare players that actually turned up for every single game though, that’s why we’re going to miss him

comment by WeekendOffender (U22920)
posted 4 minutes ago
You have a squad full of big time Charlie’s that only turn up when it suits them. You can sometimes carry a couple such players, but not 20.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Varane certainly doesn’t strike me as being in that category.

A very good player in his peak, but we got him after that so his ability and class saw him through a limited number of games but it's no basis for a settled CB pairing.

I guess an example of a signing where not having a strong transfer policy approach has cost us.

comment by WeekendOffender (U22920)
posted 25 minutes ago
You have a squad full of big time Charlie’s that only turn up when it suits them. You can sometimes carry a couple such players, but not 20.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I have a degree of respect for anyone who wears their stupid so proudly.

Your carers must be proud.

Incredible defender and I was so glad he got to show off his quality for that crucial final game. He's not elite with the ball at his feet, so I think it will be a net gain if we can bring in a younger player who is athletically strong, technically secure, not injury prone, and not at Varane's level as a defender.

You have to be mad to want to give Varane a new contract. What United need to do with that money is invest in a longterm, young, fit, techically good, proven CB.

comment by RB&W -Same Place-Same Club-Same Man (U21434)
posted 2 minutes ago
You have to be mad to want to give Varane a new contract. What United need to do with that money is invest in a longterm, young, fit, techically good, proven CB.
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Is anyone wanting to give him a new contract!!!!

it's incredibly basic to judge the strength of a defence on goals conceded, just as it is to judge the strength of an attack on goals scored.

but i'm going to do it anyway.

and it is a fact that our two worst defensive seasons in the league over the past 45 years have come with varane - his first season, and the one just gone. in fact, if we adjust for goals per game (ie for a 38 game league season vs a 42 game one) this past season was our worst in over 50 years.

if we look at 3 year periods we can see a clear worsening trend, with avg goals per season conceded of 31 (lvg and jose), 45 (ole), and 53 (rangnick and ten hag). and this has all happened alongside our goals drying up, which is why our gd per season has gone from 26, to 27, to 5.

and whilst varane has missed a lot of football, he's still managed to be around for some humiliations - shipping 4 at brentford, brighton, and chelsea, 6 at city, 7 at liverpool.

tl:dr i'm surprised there is such affection for the guy, and there's no actual evidence that he improved the team/was world class/organised the defence etc at all.

comment by kinsang (U3346)
posted 7 minutes ago
comment by RB&W -Same Place-Same Club-Same Man (U21434)
posted 2 minutes ago
You have to be mad to want to give Varane a new contract. What United need to do with that money is invest in a longterm, young, fit, techically good, proven CB.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Is anyone wanting to give him a new contract!!!!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
comment by kinsang (U3346)
posted 7 minutes ago
comment by RB&W -Same Place-Same Club-Same Man (U21434)
posted 2 minutes ago
You have to be mad to want to give Varane a new contract. What United need to do with that money is invest in a longterm, young, fit, techically good, proven CB.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Is anyone wanting to give him a new contract!!!!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Read the thread.

We've had a reduced pay contract mentioned (hes on 340k a week so hes got a lot to bargain with)... or even a (LOL) pay to play one.

Its time for Varane to go.

comment by Don Draper's dandruff (U20155)
posted 1 minute ago
it's incredibly basic to judge the strength of a defence on goals conceded, just as it is to judge the strength of an attack on goals scored.

but i'm going to do it anyway.

and it is a fact that our two worst defensive seasons in the league over the past 45 years have come with varane - his first season, and the one just gone. in fact, if we adjust for goals per game (ie for a 38 game league season vs a 42 game one) this past season was our worst in over 50 years.

if we look at 3 year periods we can see a clear worsening trend, with avg goals per season conceded of 31 (lvg and jose), 45 (ole), and 53 (rangnick and ten hag). and this has all happened alongside our goals drying up, which is why our gd per season has gone from 26, to 27, to 5.

and whilst varane has missed a lot of football, he's still managed to be around for some humiliations - shipping 4 at brentford, brighton, and chelsea, 6 at city, 7 at liverpool.

tl:dr i'm surprised there is such affection for the guy, and there's no actual evidence that he improved the team/was world class/organised the defence etc at all.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Maybe look at the stats of goals conceded with and without him in those seasons and you may have an argument. I don’t know the answer but from memory I reckon we conceded far less when he has played.

For the games you’ve mentioned he came vs Brentford when we were already 4-0 down and went off injured early vs City & Chelsea.

Part of the problem of course but we are better with him on the field imo.

A brilliant defender but we can’t rely on players that will be injured most of the time. Same could probably be said of Shaw.

comment by The Process (U20671)
posted 58 minutes ago
comment by WeekendOffender (U22920)
posted 4 minutes ago
You have a squad full of big time Charlie’s that only turn up when it suits them. You can sometimes carry a couple such players, but not 20.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Varane certainly doesn’t strike me as being in that category.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Well he certainly gave his all yesterday.
I watched the game with a city fan and I pointed out a mistake he made. Then to be fair I mentioned a good play and then another and another......was one of your better players.

Here’s a stat that might surprised a few.

Defender apps since Varane joined

Dalot 122
Maguire 99
Lindelof 98
Varane 95
AWB 90
Shaw 89
Martinez 59 (2 seasons)
Malacia 39 (2 seasons)

Other than Dalot the rest have played similar amounts to Varane in that period.

comment by The Process (U20671)
posted 5 minutes ago
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Maybe look at the stats of goals conceded with and without him in those seasons and you may have an argument. I don’t know the answer but from memory I reckon we conceded far less when he has played.

For the games you’ve mentioned he came vs Brentford when we were already 4-0 down and went off injured early vs City & Chelsea.

Part of the problem of course but we are better with him on the field imo.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
you are quite right on the brentford game, maybe less so on the city (3-0 down when he went off after 40 mins), or chelsea (2-2 when he went off after 46 mins) games. but your point is valid that goals conceded when he played is an important metric.

but my general theory of footballers and availability is that the further back in the team you go the more important it is that you are available. cb is all about forming a partnership - with the other cb, your fb, the gk - and it is impossible to do that when you are in and out of the team. a gk who misses half a season is a disaster, a cb who plays 30 games a season and looks top class in half of them isn't much use, whereas a striker who plays 30 games a season and scores 15 times is pretty useful.

and varane's appearance record is only a little (c. 10%) better than shaw or martial - though this wasn't all injury-related, people seem to have forgotten the apparent spat with ten hag earlier this season, when he was fit but still on the bench behind evans.

yet he seems to have escaped the "he's only a mercenary here for the cash" accusation happily thrown at other aged footballers who have come here and missed large chunks of the season.

People underestimate the importance of a fit Martinez and Verane in the side.

Varane featured a lot in Uniteds (easy to qualify) CL group games this season, which was a complete disaster for the players Ten Hag.

*and Ten Hag

comment by devilsknight101 (U4670)
posted 1 hour, 19 minutes ago
comment by WeekendOffender (U22920)
posted 25 minutes ago
You have a squad full of big time Charlie’s that only turn up when it suits them. You can sometimes carry a couple such players, but not 20.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I have a degree of respect for anyone who wears their stupid so proudly.

Your carers must be proud.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

That was really smart of you chomping like that. Well done.