"We know he's very famous"- Raphael Varane on Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo
Manchester United defender Raphael Varane has hailed Cristiano Ronaldo's impact at Old Trafford, saying that the Portuguese always helps the team. The 37-year-old isn't part of the Red Devils' ongoing pre-season tour due to personal reasons.
Meanwhile, as per journalist Ben Jacobs, Ronaldo's agent Jorge Mendes has been offering his client to different clubs. The Portuguese ace wants to play in the UEFA Champions League next season, but United will play in the Europa League next season after only finishing sixth in the 2021-22 Premier League.
Ronaldo top-scored with 24 goals for United last season, including 18 in the league. However, the club endured their worst league campaign in 30 years, accumulating just 58 points, leading to debates about Ronaldo's impact.
However, Varane has only good words about playing with Ronaldo. The duo played together for seven years at Real Madrid before being re-united at Old Trafford last season.
He told BBC Sport:
"That debate was outside of the dressing room. We know his quality. And we know he's very famous. So we know a lot of people will speak about the performance of the team and his performance. Cristiano is a great competitor. He's a legend, and he always helps the team, so obviously it's very good to play with him."
Varane joined the Red Devils from Real Madrid last summer for £34 million. However, he played only 28 games due to his recurring injury issues.
Cristiano Ronaldo ready to take pay cut to leave Manchester United
Cristiano Ronaldo is willing to take a pay cut up to 30% to seek an exit from Old Trafford.
He was linked with a move to former club Real Madrid and rivals Atletico Madrid, but appears likely this summer. Atletico don't have the financial prowess to sign Ronaldo, and they deem his signing 'problematic' as well.
Meanwhile, Mendes also offered the five-time Ballon d'Or winner to Barcelona before they signed Robert Lewandowski from Bayern Munich but to no avail. United have said that their talisman is not for sale this summer with one year left on his contract, but Cristiano Ronaldo might have played his last for the club.