RAPHAEL VARANE has arrived in Manchester to complete his Old Trafford move – but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has ruled him out of starting the Premier League opener against Leeds United on August 14.
Real Madrid’s £41million France centre-back, 28, will have a medical before reportedly signing a four-year contract with Manchester United.
Journalist Fabrizio Romano predicted an ‘official announcement soon’.
United will have the option to add an extra year on Varane’s deal – until June 2026.
Boss Solskjaer claimed Varane – and new £73m England attacker Jadon Sancho – could first be used as subs at home to Leeds.
Nor are they likely to play in pre-season against Everton this weekend.
He told ESPN: “They still haven’t trained with us, and I need to see how they are.
“I can’t see them being available for Everton [on Saturday] but hopefully they will be ready to be on the bench [against Leeds].
“Transfer-wise, we’ve done our business early. [Varane] hasn’t done his medical yet but that should be OK. I’m very pleased with what we’ve done.”
Varane was United’s summer priority in his search to find a new partner for England central-defender Harry Maguire.
And Real finally agreed a cut-price deal as the World Cup winner would become a free agent next summer.
But despite earning a new three-year deal himself, Solskjaer still feels pressure to win his first trophies since taking charge in December 2018.
He said: “It doesn’t matter if you have a ten-year contract or a one-year contract — if you don’t do well, off you go.
“That the board wanted to extend my contract is proof we are going in the right direction, but we have to keep on moving in the right direction.
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“There is always pressure here to win the league and to win trophies.
“For me, it’s the pressure I put on myself and the pressure the team put on themselves to achieve the best.
“We have gone from third to second and a lot closer in points, we’ve gone from three semis to a final, so it’s taking the next step now — that’s the challenge.”
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
