Tim Sherwood has unleashed a harsh critique of Manchester United‘s defender Raphael Varane, labeling him as ‘average at best.’
In his third season at Old Trafford, the seasoned center-back has displayed only occasional moments of the composure and leadership that once made him one of Europe’s top defenders during his successful tenure at Real Madrid.
Varane seemed to be building a promising partnership with Lisandro Martinez last season, but injuries have plagued them both in the current season.
Staying in good physical condition has been an ongoing challenge for the 30-year-old in recent years, and even when he’s fit, Sherwood contends that he has been underwhelming.
He told William Hill: ‘One player that really annoys me is Raphael Varane. ‘I think he is getting away with it.
‘He is never fit and when he is fit he’s bang average. We all know he’s had a great career but at the same time everyone is happy to jump on the back of Harry Maguire whilst Varane just gets away with it.
‘The ones who play more football are simply more durable and they can play week in week out, Varane seems to play once and then be injured again for two weeks. He seems to be picking his games, but when he plays he’s not that brilliant anyway.
‘Ten Hag is not judging players equally and he’s just chucking people onto the pitch and hoping one of the superstars wins him the match.
‘As soon as one of the superstars is fit he takes the likes of Hannibal and McTominay out of the team, and they end up losing football matches.’
On the other hand, Sherwood thinks that Ten Hag cannot use off-field disturbances and the uncertainty about United’s ownership as excuses for the team’s lackluster beginning to the new season.
He added: ‘When people talk about the Glazers being the problem at Manchester United it’s almost like a get out of jail free card,” Sherwood said. “It doesn’t matter about the owners or the chief executive. What matters is that their set of players got outplayed by a team towards the bottom of the league, and that has happened multiple times this season. That is down to the manager.
‘You’re always going to win games when you have the likes of Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford at your disposal. But the manager’s job is to improve players and he’s not improving anyone. You only have to look at Rashford’s recent England performance compared to his club form to see that.’