Arsenal legend Ian Wright has recently pointed out the underwhelming performance of Manchester United's star, Raphael Varane, in their recent 2-1 Premier League defeat against Fulham. The match took place on Saturday, February 24th at Old Trafford.
Manchester United had previously secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage last November. However, they experienced a significant setback this weekend as they suffered their tenth league loss of the season. Calvin Bassey opened the scoring for Fulham in the 65th minute before Harry Maguire managed to equalize late into the game at the 89th minute mark. Unfortunately for United fans, Alex Iwobi scored a decisive goal deep into injury time to seal an unexpected win for Fulham.
During his appearance on Wrighty's House podcast, Ian Wright suggested that Erik ten Hag's team could have faced an even more humiliating defeat in the Fulham fixture.
Arsenal legend, Ian Wright, said:
"Manchester United are non-existent without the ball. The front three don't press as a three, the midfield are not close enough to players they are trying to receive it from. Fulham could have beaten them three or four."
Fulham hasn’t been good with Varane since start
Raphael Varane was one of those who bore the brunt of criticism following Manchester United’s disappointing loss. The French defender joined Manchester United from Real Madrid in 2021 with a hefty price tag close to £42 million and started alongside Harry Maguire in their usual 4-2-3-1 setup during this match.
Despite completing an impressive tally of 49 out of his attempted 52 passes during this game, Varane failed to make any tackles or win any duels – he won none out of three attempts and made only three clearances throughout the match.
Ian Wright added:
"That is starting to bubble already. I tell you who you could hear a couple of... not groans but... is Varane. I could see Fulham targeted Varane. They marked up everybody in the midfield and only gave him one pass back inside to Harry Maguire and he took so long to get the control down and play it to Casemiro, then he got caught on it and Fulham went again."
Varane hasn’t lived up to the expectations this season
The Former Real Madrid defender has had mixed fortunes since joining Manchester United last year. So far this season, he has started just eighteen times despite making twenty-four appearances overall. Despite these inconsistent performances, Varane has contributed to Manchester United's defense by helping them keep nine clean sheets. He also managed to find the back of the net once on the opening day of the season.
While Raphael Varane's performance in this particular match was below par according to Ian Wright, it is important for fans and critics alike to remember that a single game does not define a player's entire season or career. The French defender will undoubtedly be looking forward to improving his performance in upcoming matches and proving his worth at Old Trafford.
