Varane also said he was ‘surprised’ by United’s decision to give Erik ten Hag a new contract last July, four months before he was sacked by the club after a poor start to the season.
Raphael Varane admits he was surprised by Marcus Rashford’s decision to leave Manchester United and join Aston Villa in the January transfer window.
‘Staying for so many years with this level of intensity and demand, years when the overall atmosphere is often negative because performances are below expectations, it’s very, very difficult,’ Varane said in an exclusive interview with The Athletic.
Rashford had attracted interest from several clubs last month including AC Milan, Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona but ended up joining Villa on loan for the remainder of the season.
‘He [Ten Hag] always needed an example of a player who was alone the entire time he was at Manchester,’ Varane said.
