Former France manager Raymond Domenech has urged Les Bleus boss Didier Deschamps not to take Manchester United defender Raphael Varane to the World Cup.
The knee injury the 29-year-old sustained in Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge is not bad as first feared, reports ESPN.
United’s number 19 is expected to miss three to four weeks of action which means he won’t play for Erik ten Hag again before the World Cup.
Following the former Real Madrid’s MRI scan on Sunday, Varane is unlikely to be fit for France’s World Cup opener against Australia on 22 November.
The four-time Champions League winner played an influential role in Deschamps’ side winning the 2018 tournament in France, and Varane was in tears at Stamford Bridge with his chances of helping Les Bleus defend the World Cup next month seemingly thrown into doubt.
Former France manager Raymond Domenech urges Didier Deschamps not to take Raphael Varane to World Cup
According to ESPN, Deschamps is expected to name his 26-man France squad on 9 November, but countries can replace injured players up to the day before their first match.
Despite Varane being a vital cog of Deschamps’ side, Domenech, who managed France at the 2006 and 2010 World Cups, has warned the current Les Bleus boss against taking the injury plagued Red Devil.
Speaking to L’Équipe, Domenech said: “If we get rid of the 26 problem that allows for 3 injured players, he could probably take Varane to the World Cup.
“But if we ask ourselves if he should take him, then no. You don’t take someone who will completely pollute the whole preparation.
“We saw it in 2004 with Marcel Desailly, in 2008 with Patrick Vieira, I had it with William Gallas in 2010, and there was Zinédine Zidane in 2002.
“We don’t know if these players will be ready or not. It’s always the same, the group is polluted. I cited four examples from four different competitions for which we screwed up each time.”
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