Nearly three years after Raphael Varane announced himself as a new Manchester United player at Old Trafford, the French defender will be embarking on a new adventure.
The World Cup winner announced this week that he would be leaving the Red Devils at the end of the campaign, posting a video across his social media accounts.
During his time in the Premier League, the centre-back made 93 appearances for United, with 30 of those coming this campaign.
However, because of his never-ending injury cycle, it’s the right time to let the 31-year-old depart, and Sir Jim Ratcliffe is already eyeing up the perfect replacement for Varane.
Man Utd’s search for a Varane replacement
According to a recent report from GiveMeSport, Man United are plotting a move to sign the extremely highly-rated Leny Yoro from Lille.
The youngster has been absolutely immense for the Ligue 1 side this campaign, which has attracted the interest of Real Madrid in particular.
The French club have set the defender’s valuation at £52m, which could put the Spanish giant off and hand a window of opportunity to the Red Devils.
Jarrad Branthwaite has become the other notable defensive target for United, but if Madrid do not progress with their approach for Yoro, Ineos’ attention could switch to the French ace.
Yoro would be the perfect Varane replacement
It’s a well-known fact that the centre-back spot at Man United this season has become a problem position for Erik ten Hag.
Despite starting the season with six central defenders, fast forward to the last few weeks, and they’ve had just one fit player who operates in that role by trade – a veteran Jonny Evans.
Lisandro Martinez, Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire, and, of course, Varane, have all been absent due to injuries as of late, which has forced the boss into experimenting with Casemiro at the back.
Therefore, it’s no surprise to see that Ratcliffe is desperate to sign a reliable player like Yoro, who’s only missed one game all campaign.
Matches
31
21
Clean sheets
13
3
Pass accuracy (per game)
92%
89%
Passes completed (per game)
53.9
32.5
Touches (per game)
67.5
45
Tackles (per game)
1.1
0.9
Interceptions (per game)
1.1
0.7
Duels won % (per game)
64%
68%
Dribbled past (per game)
0.4
0.2
Nonetheless, as you can see from the table above, the 18-year-old has truly cemented himself as a key player for Lille and one of the biggest defensive prospects in Europe.
Over his 29 Ligue 1 starts, the number 15 has mainly become known for his fantastic technical ability, as highlighted by his touches, pass accuracy, and passes completed, which are all superior to Varane’s from this season.
Yoro also seems to be slightly more aggressive and proactive than Varane, hence his higher tackles and interceptions, but they both rank similarly in duels won % and dribbled past, which is remarkable considering the former Real Madrid ace has 13 years of extra experience on his side.
Furthermore, although the statistics suggest that he’s very similar to Varane, he’s also been labelled a “young [William] Saliba” by football analyst Ben Mattinson.
The analyst refers to the likeness of the two in regards to his “dominance” and “always being in control," while he further says that he’s an “elite potential CB” who can become “a potential all-timer" – a promising comparison considering that Saliba has formed part of the best defence in the division this season, conceding just 28 goals.
Overall, it’s clear that Man United have to move for Yoro this summer, and even at £52m, he has the potential to be an absolute bargain considering his quality and potential.
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