Raphael Varane

Varane: This is the response we wanted to show

Sunday 31 October 2021 11:45

Manchester United defender Raphael Varane expressed his satisfaction after the Reds got back to winning ways with a 3-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Saturday evening.

Less than a week on from a difficult home defeat to Liverpool in the same competition, United bounced back with a comprehensive victory over Nuno Espirito Santo’s side at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, following goals from Cristiano Ronaldo, Edinson Cavani and Marcus Rashford. 

It was a triumphant return to action for Varane, who played the 90 minutes in the capital having missed our last three matches, including that loss last weekend at Old Trafford, through an injury sustained in the Nations League final during the recent international break. 

The Frenchman lined up as part of a back three for the Reds, a formation he has recently had experience playing in for his national team, and helped United to register a much-needed clean sheet, something he showed his admiration for in a post-match post on his official social media channels.

Varane lined-up alongside Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire as part of a three-centre-back system in the victory, as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looked for more solidity and control about United’s performance. 

It is the first time the manager has opted to start a Premier League match in that formation since our final game before the mid-season pandemic hiatus in March 2020, a 2-0 triumph over Manchester City, and it clearly worked to desired effect in the capital.

Captain Harry Maguire played in that derby victory over 18 months ago on the left side of the three and did the same in Saturday’s win. Goalkeeper David de Gea was also in net that day, as he was at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and both took to social media to react to the victory, in posts you can see below.

Goalscorers on the night, Ronaldo, Cavani and Rashford also gave their full-time thoughts across official platforms, and they were clearly delighted with the manner in which the Reds bounced back. 

That enthusiasm was shared throughout the team on social media in the aftermath of the victory, and if you scroll down, you can see even more reaction to Saturday's events, from our players...

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