Following confirmation that Raphael Varane will leave Manchester United at the end of the season, here are five FIFA World Cup winners who arguably joined the Red Devils after their peak.
Raphael Varane - 2018 World Cup winner
It was announced on Tuesday afternoon that Varane will leave United as a free agent at the end of the season after three seasons at the club. The 31-year-old arrived in Manchester from Real Madrid in August 2021, in a deal worth €40 million (R795 million). Given that he spent an impressive 10 years at Los Blancos and won the 2018 World Cup with France, some high expectations were placed on the centre-back's shoulders as he was anticipated to be an important pillar of strength for a struggling United defence under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but injuries derailed any semblance of consistency for the player. To date, Varane has made 93 appearances for United in all competitions, but has missed 47 matches through injuries in his three seasons at the club, according to Transfermarkt. The Frenchman has thus become rather hard to depend on due to his frequent unavailability.
