Varane claims Ten Hag managed Man Utd through ‘fear’

Last September, Raphael Varane announced his retirement from professional football after just one month at Cesc Fabregas' Como. The centre-back assumed that he was no longer fit, his knee has brought him down the road of bitterness for years until he could not take it anymore. Now, from retirement, he allows himself to open up about some of the moments of his career.

Through an interview for 'The Athletic', Varane talked about chapters like the one he lived through with Erik ten Hag. The Dutchman was sacked in October, when the centre-back was no longer there, after two and a half years of ups and downs and negative records. For the defender, his way of managing the dressing room was a problem.

“Ten Hag and I had an argument. We told each other some truths, but he dropped me to the bench for two months. I said I didn't agree with certain ways of doing things in terms of the relationship between him and the team. It was not something I considered good for the team, because some players were not happy at all. I told him it wasn't good in terms of the relationship with the coach. His response was 'okay, I heard what you said' and after that I didn't play,” he revealed.

Off the pitch, the coach collected controversies with players like Cristiano Ronaldo or Jadon Sancho, whom he pushed aside and forced to leave. Varane spoke about it: “Ten Hag wanted to gain people's respect through fear. He always needed an example of a player who was out of the way the whole time he was at Manchester. He always did that with at least one important player in the team. He was always in conflict with certain leaders in the group, that's his way of managing.”

“I was surprised that they let him stay on because there was no longer any connection with the group,” said the Frenchman, who did not understand his relationship with him: “It's hard to find the right words. There were very tense moments. Sometimes he struggled to listen to the players' comments and sometimes he made decisions without listening to how they felt, so there were ups and downs. It was complicated.”