Erik ten Hag handed unlikely boost despite European exit and daunting Liverpool trip

The display of centre back Raphael Varane was one of the few positives for Manchester United as they crashed out of the Champions League at the hands of Bayern Munich

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With Manchester United’s Champions League fate on the line, Erik ten Hag turned to a four-time winner of the competition to dig him out of a hole.

Raphael Varane had not started a game for United since their 1-0 win over Copenhagen at Old Trafford on October 24, with Ten Hag choosing to freeze out the former Real Madrid star. Ten Hag’s explanation for jettisoning Varane was his preference for a left-footed defender to play alongside the rejuvenated Harry Maguire, in the absence of the injured Lisandro Martinez.

So World Cup winner Varane, the most decorated player in United’s squad, fell behind Maguire, Victor Lindelof, Jonny Evans and Luke Shaw, to become the fifth-choice centre-back. Varane’s fall from grace was such that his last action prior to Tuesday night was as a 79th-minute sub in United’s 1-0 win over Luton on November 11.

So, after a month of inactivity, Varane’s remit was to nullify England skipper Harry Kane, arguably Europe’s most prolific striker, with 22 goals from 19 games for Bayern this season. Yet Varane, 30, brought a calm authority to United’s defence, twice heading the ball away inside 15 minutes, with Kane lurking dangerously inside the penalty area on both occasions.

The partnership between Maguire and Varane looked solid until the former pulled up in the 40th minute with a groin injury, which forced the England defender off just before the break. Maguire’s enforced withdrawal means Varane is certain to play at Liverpool on Sunday, Ten Hag suffering another loss of defensive personnel with Luke Shaw sustaining a hamstring injury which restricted him to 45 minutes.

HAVE YOUR SAY! Should Raphael Varane have been brought back sooner? Comment below.

Raphael Varane returned to the Manchester United line-up (

Image:

Nigel Keene/ProSports/REX/Shutterstock)

With skipper Bruno Fernandes suspended for the trip to Anfield, there is every reason to fear for United against Jurgen Klopp’s Premier League leaders. But with Maguire and Shaw out, Varane now has the chance to re-establish himself at United, with a January exit for the Frenchman – with Saudi Arabia a viable option – now looking unlikely.

United shipped seven goals when they last visited Anfield in March, and that was on the back of a League Cup final win. Ten Hag’s squad will travel to Merseyside in a far more precarious place this time around, and another heavy defeat will inevitably increase the growing scrutiny on his position.

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