Manchester United have a make-or-break first summer transfer window under INEOS coming up, because this window will set the tone for the next years of ownership that are to come.
Making the wrong moves could lead to instability and years of more setbacks, so Man United have to make sure that when they overhaul their squad, they get things right.
Raphael Varane is set to leave Man United
Manchester United are prepared to wave goodbye to several star players this summer, and ESPN’s Mark Ogden reports that one of those big summer decisions will involve letting star center back Raphael Varane go for free.
There was some speculation that Man United could re-sign Varane on a short-term, handshake deal so that they could then sell him for at least a modest fee.
Instead, Man United aren’t going to try to keep the 31-year-old around as a stopgap solution for a couple of seasons or even try to recoup a transfer fee from the former four-time Champions League winner at Real Madrid.
The Varane signing was a mistake
Manchester United are ready to move on from Varane just a few seasons after signing him, leaving the French World Cup winner as a modest mistake of a signing and a reminder that chasing “name” players isn’t better than a solid, sporting project focused on the right ascending players who can start for years.
Varane has been injured often in the 2023/24 season, with the signs of injury-proneness first creeping up in the 2020/21 season just before Real Madrid elected to sell him to Man United that summer.
Now, Manchester United can focus on saving that remaining squad and wage space on their next center back targets, which include Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite and Bayer Leverkusen’s Edmond Tapsoba – two younger and, nowadays, better players.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He has been an editor for NFL Spin Zone, Daily DDT for pro wrestling, Autzen Zoo covering the Oregon Ducks, Musket Fire covering the New England Patriots, The Real Champs covering Real Madrid, Old Juve covering Juventus, Rush The Kop covering Liverpool, and Release The Knappen covering Schalke. His work has been featured in ESPN, Bleacher Report, Yahoo! Sports, NBC Sports, and other outlets. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.