Manchester United are dealing with another injury to Raphael Varane.
Having just recovered from his groin injury sustained for France, Varane picked up a hamstring injury against Atalanta.
He was withdrawn after just 36 minutes after going down unchallenged.
How bad is the injury and which games will Varane miss?
Immediately it seemed doubtful Varane would be able to feature against Manchester City this coming weekend.
L’Equipe effectively confirm his absence for the derby.
The French newspaper report Varane has been ruled out of the forthcoming international games as he will face ‘three to four weeks’ out of action.
While the international break minimises the number of games Varane will miss, it is not kind to United.
These are the Red Devils’ games Varane could be set to miss, including a potentially crucial Champions League game.
- Manchester City (h): November 6
- Watford (a) November 20
- Villarreal (a) November 23
- Chelsea (a) November 28
Varane may have a chance to make the Chelsea fixture if his injury heals on the quicker timeline of just three weeks.
The Villarreal game would probably be doubtful, although not impossible.
But United should not be rushing the Frenchman back too quickly, for both the risk of playing him before he is ready from a form perspective, and risking aggravating a fresh injury.
Did United rush Varane back too soon?
It is not a good look for United to have Varane suffer this latest injury so soon after the last one.
Especially with The Telegraph reporting United rushed Harry Maguire back from his injury, contributing to his own woeful form.
Even if United did stick to the correct timeframe regarding Varane’s recovery from his groin injury, it probably was not sensible to start him for a second time in four days upon making his comeback.
This is one of the limitations of the three-at-the-back system, as it allows little room for rotation, especially with Victor Lindelof already out of the Atalanta game with a knock.
United will want to be careful with Varane’s recovery, especially as hamstring injuries are easy to re-aggravate (just ask Ryan Giggs).
Losing him for the Villarreal and Chelsea games will be a blow, but it will be even worse if he returns too quickly only to suffer a setback and miss a run of games in December too.
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