Varane naming 2 clubs he'd leave Man Utd for sparks unlikely Erik ten Hag reply

Raphael Varane is out in the cold at Manchester United at the moment as Erik ten Hag continues to bench the ex-Real Madrid ace.

The Red Devils boss has opted to play the likes of Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire ahead of Varane in recent weeks, which has not gone without some raised eyebrows. It has also prompted some past comments from the former France international regarding where he'd like to end his career to resurface.

Varane has now got two full seasons at United under his belt and while his third hasn't started as he'd have hoped, the centre-back is still thought highly of among the Old Trafford faithful. Those same fans may not want to get too attached, however, as the four-time Champions League winner has previously admitted he could leave to retire elsewhere.

Speaking to the French edition of GQ Magazine earlier this year, Varane was grilled over whether United is the club he'll remain at until the end of his playing career and he conceded it is "a serious option." He did, however, also mention two alternative options.

"I will finish my career either in Madrid, or in Manchester, or in Lens. I will not move to another club [other than those]," the World Cup winner explained. "But Madrid seems complicated to me. Players don’t usually go back there. The most likely outcome today is that I will finish [my club career] in either Manchester or Lens."

Varane's playing career started at Lens, though he only enjoyed one full season there before heading for the bright lights of the Santiago Bernabeu. His recent spell on the sidelines at Old Trafford has not only sparked fears of an exit but prompted speculation of a fall-out with Ten Hag.

The United boss has tried to quash such talk, insisting that his decision to leave Varane on the bench is purely down to tactics. "As I said, it is about tactical reasons why I chose these partnerships," Ten Hag explained. "I think Harry and Jonny did well.

"What I said last year, Harry didn’t play a lot, so I was very happy with Rapha’s performances. I have always been happy with his performance. But in this moment, Harry is playing very well and there is internal competition.

"There are moments in certain games where they (Maguire and Varane) can play together and they have already proven they can do it. But the build-up is not that fluid when one of them is playing from the left centre-back position."

Ten Hag's comments certainly read like there is life in Varane's United career yet and a route back into the starting XI in the near future. With that being said, he may have to bide his time, with Maguire's fine form making him one of the first names on the team sheet as things stand.

While a number of United players will be jetting off to meet up with their international colleagues over the next few days, Varane can use this time to impress the coaches at Carrington and begin his charge to get back into the starting line-up.