‘He was sitting there like a rabbit in headlights’: Rio Ferdinand claims defender Raphael Varane was STUNNED by the state of Manchester United after arriving last summer from ‘world-class’ Real Madrid
- Rio Ferdinand has discussed Raphael Varane’s first season at Manchester United
- Varane arrived at Old Trafford from Real Madrid amid much fanfare last summer
- The French centre half’s season was disrupted by several injuries and poor form
- The legendary former Red Devil said he was like a ‘rabbit in headlights’ at times
- He also said he’d have held a Player of the Season award to shame certain stars
Rio Ferdinand has insisted Raphael Varane was astonished at Manchester United‘s set-up after joining from Real Madrid last summer.
The French centre half arrived at Old Trafford for around £35million amid much fanfare, but endured a disappointing first season disrupted by several injuries and poor form.
And iconic former Red Devils defender Ferdinand, speaking on his Vibe with Five YouTube channel, claimed Varane, stunned by the awful state of the club, was like a ‘rabbit in headlights’ at times during last campaign.
Rio Ferdinand has claimed French defender Raphael Varane (above) was stunned by the state of Manchester United after signing from Real Madrid for around £35million last summer
Varane won 18 trophies with the Spanish side but endured a tough first season in Manchester
He said: ‘He went from one team – the honours there tell you it was a functioning team at the top level, all players playing to their maximum consistently – and went into an absolute reverse situation where the team has zero functionality, no confidence, no guidance and no structure of where they’re going.
‘He went into an alien scenario where he’s going “I have not seen this since youth team football”. To go from that world-class operating and culture and standard on a daily basis to what is at Manchester United is a huge, huge shift.
‘He’s probably sitting there like a rabbit in the headlights thinking “wow, what is this?” He hasn’t been the player we expected… he would tell you that, he couldn’t tell you anything else. He’ll be saying “I’ve got to up the levels next year. I need help.’
And Ferdinand insisted Varane looked like a ‘rabbit in…