Raphael Varane has said he was surprised Erik ten Hag remained at Manchester United beyond the end of the 2023-24 season, saying that the manager’s “connection with the group no longer existed.”
The build-up to United’s 2-1 FA Cup victory over Manchester City in May was dominated by uncertainty over Ten Hag’s future, with the manager saying after the game that he “didn’t know” whether it was his last match in charge.
In an exclusive interview with The Athletic, 31-year-old Varane — who left United last summer after three years at the club — said: “I was surprised he stayed. The connection with the group no longer existed.”
Following an end-of-season review, led by United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS sporting director Sir Dave Brailsford, Ten Hag remained in charge and had his contract extended by one year through to 2026.
Varane, who is now on the board of Serie A club Como having retired from professional football in September after suffering a knee injury, describes his relationship with Ten Hag as “a bit idiosyncratic”.
“It’s hard to find the right words,” he said. “It was very tense at times. Sometimes he made an effort to listen to the players’ feedback. Sometimes he made decisions without listening to the players’ feelings. So there were ups and downs. It was complicated at times.”
Varane was Ten Hag’s first choice centre-back in the 2022-23 season, alongside Lisandro Martinez, but fell out of favour from October of the following campaign until mid-December, despite being available.
At the time Ten Hag, 55, told the media it was for “tactical reasons”. It was perceived by some at United that Varane could not cope physically with Ten Hag’s desire to play a high line. According to Varane, the manager did not offer him an explanation other than it was for the best of the team.
“We had a robust discussion,” said Varane. “We told each other some truths but then I didn’t play for almost two months. I said I didn’t agree with certain ways of doing things regarding the relationship between him and the team. It wasn’t something that I thought was good for the team because some of the players were not at all satisfied. It was not good in terms of the relationship with the coach.”
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While that is Varane’s perspective, other players, such as Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo did blossom under Ten Hag, while Casemiro told Spanish outlet AS this week that his first season at United (2022-23) was his best as a professional.
Varane feels there was not a moment of reconciliation but he was reintroduced into the team because United were struggling with injuries.
Varane did not feel Ten Hag was making an example of him but he did with other players and cited Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho as examples. He believes Ten Hag “wanted to gain respect through fear, perhaps.” Varane added: “He always needed an example of a player who was alone the entire time he was at Manchester. He did that with at least one important player on the team. He was always in conflict with certain leaders of the group. That is his way of managing.”
Varane made a point to recognise, however, that Ten Hag managed his return in time for the FA Cup well. “We had ups and downs,” he said. “I can’t say everything was bad. There were complicated moments.”
Ten Hag’s management style and tactical approach was very different to what Varane had experienced at Real Madrid where he won four Champions League titles. The 2018 World Cup winner with France also noted a contrast in the way the two clubs were run.
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“Even from the inside as a player, there wasn’t a clear structure on how things were going to work. There hasn’t been a fixed methodology for years. At Madrid they have a defined way of doing things at every level of the club. At Manchester it was not clear or defined enough to know how to recruit, how to play, how to communicate.
“There were too many people involved in the decision-making process, so we didn’t know who was really making the decisions. I can’t say who was responsible, I don’t know. It was a bit of everyone and a bit of no one.”
Despite the criticism, Varane had a positive experience overall at United, loved the fans and looks back at his time in Manchester with very fond memories.
“I have so much respect and love for the club that I can only be positive,” he said. “Even when I say things that aren’t going well, it’s well-intentioned and constructive. It’s not to point the finger at someone. I only wish the club well and hope they succeed.”
(Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)
