Raphael Varane tears apart Erik ten Hag's time at Man Utd and reveals what 'surprised' him in tell-all interview

In a new tell-all interview, Raphael Varane has lifted the lid on his "idiosyncratic" relationship with former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag.

Varane, who joined United from Real Madrid in 2021, played under four managers during his three-year spell at Old Trafford – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Michael Carrick, Ralf Rangnick and Erik ten Hag.

After making just 29 appearances in all competitions across the 2021/22 campaign, the defender was understandably "excited" about the arrival of Ten Hag as he anticipated a new start.

"It’s a new season, it’s a new start, so everyone is excited to know about the new manager," he told MUTV ahead of the club's pre-season campaign in 2022. "We want to be ready for the new season."

Varane was Ten Hag's first-choice centre-back throughout 2022/23 but the Dutch manager dropped the four-time Champions League winner from his plans at the start of the following campaign, despite being fully fit.

In fact, the 31-year-old failed to start a single game for Manchester United between October and mid-December.

At the time, Ten Hag insisted he had no problem with the World Cup winner and said his absence was down to "tactical reasons" but now, in a fascinating interview with The Athletic, the defender has given his take on being dropped.

"We had a robust discussion. We told each other some truths, but then I didn’t play for almost two months," he said.

"I said I didn’t agree with certain ways of doing things regarding the relationship between him and the team. It wasn’t something that I thought was good for the team because some of the players weren’t at all satisfied.

"It was not good in terms of the relationship with the coach. He said ‘OK, I hear what you said’ and after that, I didn’t play."

Varane was dropped from Ten Hag's plans at the start of the 2023/24 campaign. Image credit: Getty

Speaking further on his relationship with Ten Hag, he added: "It was very tense at times. Sometimes he made an effort to listen to the players’ feedback. Sometimes he made decisions without listening to the players’ feelings. So there were ups and downs. It was complicated at times."

The Frenchman would go on to speak about Ten Hag's system and his play style that divided fans.

"It was the opposite [to Real Madrid] with fairly rigid patterns of play defined in advance," he said. "There was very little flexibility in terms of adapting on the pitch. The game plans were very, very precise, with lots and lots of information. It was different."

Varane, who left United at the end of his contract last summer after making 92 appearances for the club, says he was surprised that Ten Hag remained at United beyond the end of the 2023-24 season.

“I was surprised he stayed," he said in the interview. "The connection with the group no longer existed.”

Varane was "surprised" that Ten Hag stayed after their FA Cup win. Image credit: Getty

Back in September last year, Varane announced his retirement from football after suffering a serious knee injury while playing for Serie A side Como.

Thoughts on his comments? Let us know.