Raphael Varane suffers ANOTHER injury blow as Man Utd defender is forced off with hamstring problem against Atalanta
RAPHAEL VARANE has suffered ANOTHER injury blow after being forced off in the 2-2 draw with Atalanta.
The Manchester United defender, who has already missed five games this season, limped off after just 38 minutes in Italy.
He did return to United’s backline for their 3-0 win at Tottenham on Sunday, which eased the pressure on manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
But Varane faces another setback after going down off the ball before he limped off just before Cristiano Ronaldo equalised.
Solskjaer revealed the Frenchman felt pain in his hamstring and the club don’t want to take any risks.
He said: “[Varane] felt his hamstring so of course we couldn’t take any risks.
“That’s unfortunate because Rafa has been such a calming influence.”
The defender arrived from Real Madrid this summer for £42million, but has so far made just nine appearance.
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He will be sweating on his fitness ahead of United’s Manchester derby with Premier League champions City on Saturday.
United ditched their usual 4-2-3-1 formation at Spurs and switched to a 3-5-2 set-up.
And Old Trafford legend Gary Neville was quick to praise Varane for his impact in the three-man defence.
Neville said on Sky Sports after that win: “He’s made a massive difference at the back, Varane.
“You can say the change of system but he has brought real composure and class in that back-three.
“He’s been outstanding at the back.”
Varane watched on as Ronaldo once more rescued United with a brilliant late equaliser after Duvan Zapata had put 2-1 ahead.
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