Manchester United Confirm $56M Star Won't Play In Derby Clash With Guardiola's City

Manchester United have confirmed that Raphael Varane won't play in their upcoming derby clash with Manchester City on Saturday.

Varane has been ruled out for a month with a hamstring injury. The French defender sustained the injury during a 2-2 draw with Atalanta in the Champions League on Tuesday.

"The club confirms that Raphael sustained a hamstring injury, which is expected to keep him out of action for around a month. We'd like to wish Raphael all the best as he works on his recovery," Manchester United said in a statement.

Manchester United's next assignment is a big one as they host Pep Guardiola-managed City in the Premier League on Saturday, ahead of the two-week international break. Following that, the Red Devils will resume their league campaign by taking on Watford in an away fixture before traveling to Spain to face off against Villarreal in the Champions League. The Red Devils close off November with a trip to London to take on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the league.

The Red Devils are currently placed fifth in the 2021-22 Premier League table with 17 points, three less than reigning champions City, who are in the third spot.

Varane was subbed off during the first half of the game in Bergamo when Atalanta were 1-0 up. The center-back was replaced by forward Mason Greenwood as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer switched his formation to a back four after starting with five in defense.

Along with Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho, Manchester United signed Varane during the 2021 summer transfer window. The Old Trafford side signed the 28-year-old defender for $56 million from Real Madrid, where he had spent a decade. Varane missed around three games due to a groin injury earlier this season. The France national has so far made only nine appearances for his new club.

Ronaldo has made it a habit of rescuing Manchester United late in the matches this season. Josip Ilicic opened the scoring, just 12 minutes after the kickoff, with a low effort that squeezed under David de Gea at Gewiss Stadium. Ronaldo scored an added-time equalizer in the first half before Atalanta's Duvan Zapata doubled the hosts' lead in the second half.

During the stoppage time, Ronaldo volleyed one outside the box and earned a crucial point for Manchester United in the Champions League.

Ronaldo rescued the Red Devils toward the end in each of his side's last two European meetings. While his strike Tuesday saw Manchester United take a 2-2 draw, Ronaldo struck a winner to hand Solskjaer's side a 3-2 win against the same opponent in the previous game.