When players leave for international engagements with their countries, club managers are always worried, especially if they’re thin on personnel. No coach wants a player to return injured as it destabilised the plans of the manager. More galling is that the responsibility of getting the player to full fitness falls on the club.
Real Madrid will understand the situation very well. Gareth Bale is a player who has spent large spells on the treatment table only to recover in time to feature for Wales and then pull up with another injury that keeps him on the sidelines again.
With pressure mounting on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to deliver after heavy investment on the squad, the Norwegian will be a worried man as a list of testy ties are lined up for him. With games against Leicester City, Atalanta, Liverpool, Tottenham, and Manchester City lined up, Solskjaer will need all his personnel to prosecute them.
Varane blow for Ole and Manchester United
As France marched their way to the UEFA Nations League (today’s link of France win Nations League), one man watched with dismay on the sidelines. Solskjaer must have been pleased with the disciplined and assured performance put up by Raphael Varane, but his joy turned to ashes soon. Five minutes before the break, Varane had gone in to cut out a Gavi cross, but the defender winced as he gave away a corner kick.
It initially looked unserious, but Varane motioned to the bench immediately. The defender bravely tried to soldier on but was soon calling for treatment. As per the Daily Mail, United cannot tell the extent of the injury but will be worried as they are desperately thin on personnel. Varane was seen on the bench afterwards with his right quad strapped with ice.
Difficult times ahead
With the list of matches ahead, Ole has to get his squad at its best to navigate through as best as possible. The games are no walk in the park, and any more dropped points will only increase the pressure already on the Norwegian.
If the injury puts Varane on the sidelines, Solskjaer will be without his first-choice centre-backs of Raphael Varane and Harry Maguire.
It is a potentially dangerous situation for Ole to find himself. It means that either Eric Bailly or Phil Jones will partner Swedish defender Victor Lindelof at the back. For United fans, it is not an exciting proposition.
For those who want Ole out, a Lindelof/Phil Jones partnership will look appealing.
Manchester United fans need not worry as the longest Varane has been out to injury is 49 days in 2016. A torn muscle bundle kept him out for that long, but it is an injury that has occurred three times in the Frenchman’s career.
By :
Steven D. Thompson
