Raphael Varane in race against time to play Everton on Sunday for Manchester United
Manchester United could be without World Cup-winning defender Raphael Varane when they face Everton on Sunday evening at Goodison Park.
The France international was forced off injured during the Manchester derby demolition on 2 October and missed the Red Devils’ Europa League triumph away at Omonia Nicosia.
Varane, a five-time Champions League winner with Real Madrid, is still a doubt for the game against Everton with Erik Ten Hag suggesting that he has a small chance of playing, as per Ben Dinnery.
Erik Ten Hag has three more players out of action when Frank Lampard’s Toffees welcome them to Goodison Park with Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka weakening the defensive department further.
Donny van de Beek, who was a loanee at Goodison Park last season, is also out of the contest against the manager who signed him on transfer deadline day in January.
Advantage
United and Everton are much more closely matched than a lot of people realise and this injury news just tips the scales further in the Toffees’ favour.
Varane brings a sense of calm to the United defence and his absence is very obvious in every game he doesn’t play so Lampard will have his fingers firmly crossed that’s the case on Sunday.
Victor Lindelof will be the replacement if he can’t take to the field and while his ball-playing skills are better, he does not have the defensive instinct that Varane has and that is something Everton can exploit.
Anthony Gordon, Demarai Gray and Neal Maupay have the technical ability to pick the Red Devils’ defence to pieces if they are patient enough and it could be a goal-fest if they manage it.
But a game against Manchester United is tough in the Premier League and they possess some world-class attacking talent who can tear a team to shreds in the blink of an eye.