"That is starting to bubble already" – Ian Wright names Manchester United star who got exposed in loss to Fulham
Arsenal great Ian Wright has claimed that Raphael Varane endured a tough time in Manchester United's 2-1 Premier League home loss against Fulham this Saturday (February 24).
The Red Devils, who beat Fulham 1-0 at Craven Cottage past November, slumped to their 10th league loss of the season earlier this weekend. Calvin Bassey bagged the opener in the 65th minute before Harry Maguire pulled one back for his team in the 89th. However, Alex Iwobi scored the decisive goal deep into injury time to seal the win.
Speaking recently on the Wrighty's House podcast, Wright suggested that Erik ten Hag's side could have lost by a bigger margin against Fulham. He said (h/t Metro):
"Manchester United are non-existent without the ball. The front three don't press as a three, the midfield are not close enough to players they are trying to receive it from. Fulham could have beaten them three or four."
Remarking on the growing frustration of United fans, Wright continued:
"That is starting to bubble already. I tell you who you could hear a couple of... not groans but... is Varane. I could see Fulham targeted Varane. They marked up everybody in the midfield and only gave him one pass back inside to Harry Maguire and he took so long to get the control down and play it to Casemiro, then he got caught on it and Fulham went again."
Varane, who left Real Madrid to join the Red Devils for close to £42 million in 2021, started beside Maguire in his team's 4-2-3-1 setup. He completed 49 of 52 passes, attempted zero tackles, won none of his three duels, and made three clearances in United's latest defeat.
So far this season, the 30-year-old defender has started 18 of his 24 appearances. He has helped Manchester United record nine clean sheets, finding the back of the net once on the opening day of the season.
Manchester United keen to sell 21-year-old
According to Football Insider, Manchester United are prepared to permanently part ways with Hannibal Mejbri this summer. They are hoping to sell the 21-year-old as part of a strategy to refresh the club's squad.
Mejbri, who joined the Red Devils' youth setup for over £9 million from AS Monaco in 2019, is currently out on loan at Sevilla. He has made three league appearances for the La Liga outfit, racking up 36 minutes.
A 27-cap Tunisia international, Mejbri has represented Manchester United's senior team 13 times across all competitions so far. He has started five matches for them, contributing one goal in the Premier League.