Raphael Varane Rates His First Premier League Football Experience

Raphael Varane left Real Madrid after a decade in Madrid, winning everything there’s to win in Spanish football and at the European stage, at the age of 28. The Frenchman took the decision, a rare one at a place like Santiago Bernabeu, to leave at the peak of his powers.

One of the driving forces behind his willingness to join Manchester United was the experience of playing in the Premier League – a chance, as he said in his interview to the club’s official website, he ‘couldn’t turn down’.

Despite his decorated CV, some pundits have raised concerned regarding the France international’s calibre to switch the technicality of La Liga with the intensity of English top-flight football at this juncture of his career.

However, on his debut away from home in England’s West Midlands, at full-house Molineux, Varane looked more at ease than a few of the Wolves players.

Not only did the World Cup winning centre-back keep a clean sheet, his new side’s first in the league this season, but also assisted Mason Greenwood for the game’s only goal.

When asked to reflect on his first outing, Varane told MUTV: “The atmosphere is fantastic, and the game is very fast. You have a lot of action during the game. You have to be focused and very concentrated because it never stops. It’s attack, attack, counter-attack and it’s very fast.”

The 28-year-old has now joined the French national setup for the international fixtures alongside Paul Pogba, and will have to wait until 11th September for his next Premier League experience, ideally in the presence of his former Real Madrid teammate Cristiano Ronaldo at Old Trafford.