Raphael Varane shares ‘expensive’ problem Ineos must solve to turn Man Utd into Real Madrid, ‘Straight away’…

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Raphael Varane played for two of the world’s biggest clubs and his unique experiences mean he has seen how Manchester United can become a club like Real Madrid once again.

For some fans who may have only started watching football in the mid-2010s, Manchester United and Real Madrid are absolutely worlds apart.

The retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson proved impactful, as many would have feared, with Old Trafford still yet to recover or reach the heights that the legendary Scot regularly produced.

Due to this, over the past decade, United and Madrid’s club trajectories have gone in the complete opposite direction with the La Liga giants winning six Champions League trophies.

There is a huge discrepancy when comparing the Champions League trophy records of the two clubs during Sir Alex’s reign, with United winning two and Madrid three.

This highlights the alarming disparity between the two clubs today, and the gap has really never been bigger as United continue to plummet under Ineos. Now, former Red Devils defender Raphael Varane has highlighted what he perceives to be the difference.

• READ MORE: Inside the life of Manchester United legend Sir Alex Ferguson

Raphael Varane shares how Manchester United can become elite

The gulf between the two clubs is something that Ineos are aiming to lessen by 2028, with United’s chief executive officer Omar Berrada outlining the three-year plan which ends in United winning the league title.

However, now speaking with Charlotte Harpur for The Athletic, the legendary Frenchman that is Varane has been explaining the difference between the two clubs he was lucky enough to play for.

“At Madrid, you can see that for years there has been a framework”, Varane explained. “A player is added, some leave, but there is always a solid foundation.

“When you recruit young, talented players, they have to learn before they can play. It gives them time to develop. When I arrived, at the age of 18, I had no responsibilities in the dressing room. I was just there to learn.”

Varane then explained that at United, 18-year-olds are expected to perform right away with a heavy spotlight – due to the fact no established stars are taking the burden.

“At United, they can recruit a very expensive young player and immediately play him, with all the responsibilities in an extremely difficult league. He’s got a huge weight on his shoulders straight away.”

This is absolutely the case, with Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo having the weight of the club on them last season – while Varane was at the club – and now when their inconsistency shows, fans are left unhappy.

Minutes in first full season in first team

Varane will have seen Madrid bring in the likes of Vinicius Junior, Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga – all of whom had years to adapt considering the world-class squad Madrid already had.

How can Manchester United solve this issue?

If Varane’s verdict is correct, it is not something United can change overnight and it will prove to be expensive. It will take years of consistently good recruitment for United to be in a situation where a breakthrough talent has world-class players to learn from.

However, in terms of recruitment, Ineos are absolutely on the right track with Patrick Dorgu – long term – likely to be one of the world’s leading players in his position.

United are anticipating a big summer transfer window, and already recruitment is shaping up in the correct manner. United are keen on adding Geovany Quenda from Sporting Lisbon.

Meanwhile, in a position like a striker, where United have Chido Obi for the future, it is likely an addition like Victor Osimhen would be favoured as it gives the dynamic of one young and one experienced to take the stress away from the teenager.

It will take time for United, but we have faith that Ruben Amorim is the man to do it… but patience is needed.