Manchester United drew against Chelsea yesterday, with Erik ten Hag’s men requiring a late leveller to ensure they did not slump to what would have been a disappointing defeat.
The goal came courtesy of Casemiro.
However, the game for United fans and the team came with extra consequences as French defender Raphael Varane came off during proceedings with an injury.
Varane tried to confront a sprinting Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang but instead hit the ground in pain, clutching his knee.
The 29-year-old lay on the floor writhing in pain and discomfort. He was deemed unable to go on by the medical team and had to be taken off.
Victor Lindelof came in for Varane and slotted right next to Lisandro Martinez.
Varane was in tears and unconsolable as he hobbled back to the touchline and down the tunnel.
According to the reliable Fredrik Filtvedt, Varane suffered a hamstring injury.
It is not known when he will be able to make a return to the team as per Filtvedt.
A determination will probably be made by the club once tests and assessments are done.
Raphaël Varane has a hamstring injury, but the extent of the injury is unknown as of yet [@FAFiltvedt]
— utdreport (@utdreport) October 23, 2022
Damien Dubras reveals for Canal+Foot that Varane’s injury is not as serious as once thought. He says that the player has a lesion of the femoral bicep (hamstring). Should he be selected for France, Varane would only miss the first game against Australia.
Lésion du biceps fémoral pour Raphaël Varane, une blessure moins grave que redouté. Néanmoins, s’il venait à être sélectionné, il serait de doute forfait pour la premier match des Bleus au Mondial face à l’Australie. @CanalplusFoot
— Damien Dubras (@ddubras) October 23, 2022
Tier 1 journalist Julien Laurens confirms this, indicating that the France international will be sidelined for three to four weeks.
This is a positive development in Varane’s books.
I’m told Raphaël Varane suffered a lesion on his femoral biceps which is less serious than thought originally. He should be out between 3 to 4 weeks & sees the MRI results as positive. He won’t play for United before the WC & then Deschamps will have to make a call on him @ESPNFC
— Julien Laurens (@LaurensJulien) October 23, 2022
This almost certainly rules the centre-back out for United for the six games preceding the World Cup.
Fans will be hoping that the defender is not sidelined for long. Should he face a prolonged spell on the sidelines, it would be a significant blow for the Red Devils.
