Ex-France international gives his opinion on Manchester United star Raphael Varane's shock international retirement

Manchester United star Raphael Varane announced his retirement from international football last week, and it caught the world of football by surprise.

Former France defender William Gallas has now broken his silence on it and claimed that it is best to accept the decision rather than question it. He believes the players are involved in too many matches these days, which has taken its toll.

🗝️😄 According to @raphaelvarane this was the key to their success!
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Speaking to Genting Casino, Gallas backed the Manchester United star's decision to retire from international football. He added that the players are tired of playing too many matches, and the decision is no longer a surprise.

The former Chelsea defender said:

"We just have to congratulate him and accept his decision. He has his reasons for retirement. In my opinion, there are too many games in one season for a player. I'm not just talking about club football but I am also talking about international duty as well. Don't forget, players are not robots, we are human and it's a huge toll on our mentality. You can be very tired especially when you have to be the top player, you have to keep your level very high."

He added:

"So the pressure is always on your shoulders and sometimes you don't feel like you have had a good rest and you still have to get up and do it all over again. I think with all that being said, we have to understand his decision. We are not talking about money here either. People will say 'It's a lot of money, they shouldn't complain.' Forget about the money. At the end of the day, Varane - like many others, just wanted to achieve something in his life and he has done that. However, it's hard. It's really hard to be 100% every game. It's not possible. "

Manchester United star Raphael Varane announces international retirement

Raphael Varane announced his decision to retire from international football last week.

😃 @ManUtd fans, how are you feeling today?

🏆 It's never a bad day when you welcome a FIFA World Cup winner to your squad

💪 @raphaelvarane played every minute of @FrenchTeam's 2018 #WorldCup-winning campaign

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The Manchester United star has played 93 times for his country and won the World Cup in 2018, while also playing in the final in December 2022 and finishing runner-up.

Varane is the second French player to announce his retirement since the World Cup after Hugo Lloris hung his gloves earlier this year.