The list of Manchester United players who have feuded/are rumored to have feuded with manager Erik ten Hag is starting to grow. Raphael Varane is the latest footballer to fit this category, although the manager denies that any rift exists. The clashing with both Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho has all unfolded right before eyes. These rifts have been very well publicized, and both players have been known to have a very polarizing side to their personalities.
As for Varane, nothing on the surface seems to be very problematic about him, but you never. Why he’s falling down the pecking order remains a mystery.
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“Rapha Varane? I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Ten Hag said to a press conference today when asked about a tiff with the central defender who has now fallen below the likes of both Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans on the depth chart.
“It’s rumours. Very important player, but there’s internal competition and there should be at a top club, as we are.”
Varane, as decorated a player as possible, on both the club and country level, has even worn the captain’s arm band on occasion for United.
So what gives? if Varane is not injured, then why isn’t he playing? I can’t pretend to know the answer. And the rumor mill doesn’t stop there, as now there are rumblings that Ten Hag is also feuding with Casemiro. Who knows if that’s true or not, but there is one pattern that seems to emerge here. Ronaldo, Sancho, Varane and Casemiro are/were all near the top of the United roster’s salary list.
Just something to think about.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now, while writing for the International Baseball Writers Association of America. You can follow the website on Twitter.