Varane Could Struggle At Manchester United Like Di Maria, Falcao: Ex-City Star

Manchester United’s new signing Raphael Varane may struggle to keep up with the toughness of the Premier League at Old Trafford, former City defender Danny Mills said Tuesday.

The Red Devils have revealed reaching an agreement with Real Madrid over Varane’s transfer in the 2021 summer window at an initial fee of $47 million, which could rise to $58 million. Varane is set to move to Manchester on a four-year contract and form a solid partnership at the back-line with club captain Harry Maguire.

Pointing out to the fact that Varane is coming to England after spending a decade in La Liga, former Manchester City right-back Mills has questioned Varane’s suitability, saying the Spanish league is not of the same standard as the Premier League. Mills went on to state that there have been several stars, including Angel Di Maria and Radamel Falcao, who have failed to cope up with the robustness of the English top-flight league.

"You just don’t know with foreign players coming in. He’s had his injury problems – when you look at his average he plays around 20 games a season in La Liga. Ten years there and 210 league games, so he’s obviously had his injury concerns. A lot of those games are against seriously inferior opposition. This not the standard of the Premier League, robustness or intensity of the Premier League," Mills told sports media outlet talkSport.

Manchester United confirmed that while personal terms were reached with Varane, the deal is still subject to the French defender's medical, according to the club's official website.

"I’m not doubting whether he’s a fantastic player but I’m just questioning whether he’ll be able to cope with the rigors of the Premier League. We’ve seen lots of players come in and haven’t managed to do it – even Manchester United players – [Juan Sebastian] Veron, [Radamel] Falcao, [Angel] Di Maria, [Memphis] Depay, [Diego] Forlan, [Bastian] Schweinsteiger, [Gerard] Pique. You even look at Deco, [Andriy] Shevchenko and [Gonzalo] Higuain [at Chelsea] – they didn’t do it. [Alvaro] Morata, [Fernando] Morenties. They couldn’t adapt, but they’re not bad players, they just struggled to adapt to the Premier League," Mills, who is known for his stint with Leeds United, further explained.