Manchester United Transfer News Roundup: Raphael Varane eyeing Red Devils exit, club slammed for Mason Mount move, and more - November 4, 2023
Manchester United secured a hard-fought 1-0 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage in the Premier League on Saturday (November 4). Bruno Fernandes scored an injury-time winner to get his team back to winning ways.
Meanwhile, Raphael Varane is contemplating an exit from Old Trafford. Elsewhere, the Red Devils have been slammed for signing Mason Mount this summer.
On that note, let's take a look at the major Manchester United transfer stories from November 4, 2023.
Raphael Varane eyeing Manchester United exit
Raphael Varane is planning to leave Manchester United in 2024, according to Football Transfers. The French defender hasn't been in Erik ten Hag's starting XI for the last three games. There are rumors of a fallout with the Dutch manager, with the 30-year-old reportedly unhappy with the situation at Old Trafford. A move to the Middle East is now on the cards.
Varane is apparently ready to be reunited with former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr. With the Red Devils expected to be in the market for a new defender in 2024, the Frenchman could be tempted to consider his options. A move to Saudi Arabia on a fat contract could also be a fine way to play out the final years of his illustrious career.
Red Devils slammed for Mason Mount move
Manchester United might have wasted money on the Mason Mount move, according to journalist Dean Jones. The Red Devils spent £55m on the English midfielder who arrived from Chelsea this summer. However, the 24-year-old has failed to hit the ground running at Old Trafford and has subsequently dropped down the pecking order under Erik ten Hag.
Speaking to Give Me Sport, Jones pointed out that Erik ten Hag could have utilized Mount better this season.
"If you come back to the players that United have got unavailable right now, he's had just to fit in. But I think there have even been opportunities so far where I'd probably been tempted to just stick Mount out on the right and try and use his attacking nouse out there if you had to, just to try and get him on the ball more and get him into the areas where he could at least cause some damage," said Jones.
He continued:
"At the moment, the Mount signing looks like an even more strange one than it did at the time. It looks like, potentially, United have wasted more money."
Mount has been handed the iconic No. 7 shirt at Manchester United this season.
Erik ten Hag not up to Manchester United level
Former Liverpool striker Stan Collymore believes Erik ten Hag is not up to the standards required to manage Manchester United. The Dutch manager has struggled to get results this season, following an impressive debut campaign. His job could be on the line unless his team rapidly improves its fortunes.
Speaking to Caught Offside, Collymore pointed out that none of the exisiting players at Old Trafford have improved under ten Hag.
"I don’t see major progression at Man United under ten Hag. Has he made average players good, good players very good and very good players into world class regulars? There’s no Manchester United player significantly better than when they joined the club under ten Hag, and even Marcus Rashford has gone back to being famously inconsistent," said Collymore.
He continued:
"I think Manchester United are traditionally a club that won’t sack managers during the middle of the season, so I think they’ll wait and see whether he can get them another trophy before a parting of the ways before the Euros."
The Red Devils have also struggled this season due to long-term injuries to key players like Luke Shaw and Lisandro Martinez this season.