Raphael Varane is winning his race to be available for France’s opening game in this winter’s World Cup, having previously been a doubt for the entire tournament.
Varane has not played since being withdrawn from the 1-1 draw at Chelsea last month and the Frenchman’s reaction to the first-half injury to that game hinted that he was fearing the worst.
A teary-eyed Varane was withdrawn and almost immediately, it was confirmed that he would not be playing for United again before the season was broken by the tournament.
His recovery is said to have gone well, however, and it has now been revealed that Varane will be part of the matchday squad to face Australia on Tuesday.
That’s according to L’Equipe, who say that Didier Deschamps will name Varane on the bench, with Liverpool star Ibrahima Konaté likely to fill in for the 29-year-old.
As per the report, relayed by Get French Football News, the French coaching setup decided that starting Varane in the opening game is too great of a risk at this point.
SN’s verdict…
The last thing Varane needs right now is to be rushed back from injury and aggravate the issue further. The root of his problems in his first season were his hamstrings and it looked like those issues had been solved after he underwent a personalised training program over the summer.
Anyone can suffer setbacks but when that happens, it’s paramount that he is given enough time to heal. Understandably, he will be desperate to play in this storied tournament and attempt to defend their title from 2018.
