Raphael Varane has confessed that he always knew he would end up playing for Manchester United one day after Sir Alex Ferguson tried to recruit him in 2011.
Varane has spoken at length about his in-person conversation with Ferguson but eventually could not pass up the chance to emulate fellow Frenchman Zinedine Zidane at Real Madrid, who parted with a cool £8m to sign him from Lens that same summer.
After a decade in Spain, Varane finally found his way to Manchester in 2021, and the defender admitted to the club's official website that he always knew it was going to happen eventually.
“Yes [it felt like destiny]," he said. "Manchester United has always been a special club for me, with a big history.
"I always followed this club and, you know, I have great memories about, for example, Champions League or great games in the Premier League. Obviously, it’s a great club and, of course, I always followed Manchester United.”
Varane has managed 19 appearances to date in English football and admitted that the style of play has come as a surprise to him.
“Yeah, the games are very difficult," he confessed. "You can’t be relaxed, you can be winning a game and you know if you have ten minutes to play, anything can happen.
"I think it’s the best league in the world and the intensity is absolutely amazing. Every team has players with top quality. Tactically, it’s a very high level and there are a lot of players and coaches from everywhere. So it’s a mix about different cultures and different styles of players and of mentality. I think that is why the league is top because it's the best from everywhere."
Finally, Varane revealed that he already has a very good relationship with his team-mates and touched on Paul Pogba, who previously insisted the centre-back was like 'water in a storm' compared to his 'fire' because of their different personalities.
“I think there is different leadership [styles]," Varane explained. "Paul is more impulsive and more energetic. I am more calm and more analytical and practical. There are different points of view. I think it’s important to have, in a team, these different leaderships.”
Source : 90min