Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane reveals why he turned down Manchester United transfer last summer
The defender has revealed a chat with the Real hierarchy convinced him to stay
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane has revealed why he turned down a move to Manchester United last season.
United were repeatedly linked with the French international and Jose Mourinho had identified the defender as one of his primary transfer targets, but after many weeks of speculation Varane decided against a move to the Premier League.
And it appears a discussion with the club hierarchy convinced the 24-year-old to remain at the Santiago Bernabéu.
“I preferred to discuss with the leaders and the coach to know if they had confidence in me,” he revealed in an interview with L’Equipe.
“They did, so I got my head down.”
Varane also said that those who had suggested he was not good enough to play for a team as big as Real convinced him to stay and fight for his place at the club.
"That's what some people thought and it motivated me,” he added.
“When you don't believe in me, I don't say anything but it titillates me. It takes a great strength of character to arrive at Real at eighteen years and make a journey like I have so far.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments