MANCHESTER UNITED defender Raphael Varane has hailed team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo as a “legend” – and insists no one in the dressing room thinks the team is better without him.
The 37-year-old’s future remains in doubt after a turbulent summer where he indicated he wanted to leave the club.
Cristiano Ronaldo remains a United player – for now – after weeks of frenzied speculation Credit: Getty
Raphael Varane made only 22 Premier League appearances last season after missing games through injury Credit: Getty There has also been much debate whether Ronaldo actually improves United, with his arrival coinciding with the club slipping down the table, the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and the struggles of interim boss Ralf Rangnick.
But the Portuguese star was also the top scorer and one of fee impressive United players last season.
Varane believes he still has an important role to play in the year ahead.
The ex-Real Madrid man said: “Of course we want to improve. Cristiano is a great competitor, he’s a legend. Obviously it’s very good to play with him and he always helps the team.
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De Jong new UPDATE, Jurrien Timber TWIST, Piers REVEALS Ronaldo’s future “He’s a great player and we all want the best players in the team. We will try to improve next season.”
Ronaldo scored 24 goals in all competitions in his first campaign back at United and was crowned Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year, but it was not enough to bring cup success or Champions League qualification.
Some have suggested the veteran’s style meant he was a hindrance rather than a help but Varane dismissed such talk.
“We appreciate him as a player and as a person,” he said. “I think this debate was outside of the dressing room. We know his quality.
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“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.”
Playing for United brings additional scrutiny and pressure, which captain Harry Maguire knows all about.
Erik ten Hag confirmed Maguire would retain the armband this season and the defender was booed by fans in Melbourne at the start of Tuesday’s friendly against Crystal Palace.
“I think he’s a very important player for us,” Varane said. “He’s the captain and he has a lot of great qualities. Obviously we support him and he’s part of the team and very important for us.”
Ten Hag has had a dream start to pre-season with his United team winning all three games so far and stringing together some encouraging performances.
The most recent was the 3-1 win over Crystal Palace, but perhaps the most impressive was the 4-0 battering of Liverpool.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
