Varane reveals he wanted to retire at United but Ratcliffe's project forced his Como move

Raphael Varane wanted to finish his playing career at Manchester United but felt Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s new project had no place for him, the former France international has revealed in an interview with L’Equipe.

Varane joined United from Real Madrid in 2021 in a deal worth £43 million including add-ons, going on to make 95 appearances across all competitions in three injury-disrupted seasons. He had been keen to sign a contract extension before his deal expired in the summer of 2024, but the arrival of Ineos and the sweeping changes that followed changed his thinking.

“At the start of my last season at Manchester United, I was already telling myself that I would have liked to finish there, to extend the adventure a little further,” Varane said. “It didn’t happen and the summer was very eventful. With United, I finished with a victory in the FA Cup, but I already knew that the club’s project didn’t suit me.”

Varane departed after United’s FA Cup triumph and signed a two-year deal with Serie A side Como in July 2024, with an option to extend. He described the move as one driven by human rather than financial or exotic appeal. “Como was a project that stood out — it wasn’t exotic nor financially rewarding, but humanly it made sense,” he said.

The move lasted just 23 minutes of competitive football. Varane sustained a knee injury in the first half of a Coppa Italia match against Sampdoria on 11 August and was subsequently excluded from Como’s Serie A squad list. He announced his retirement in September 2024 at the age of 31.

“When I got injured on August 11, I knew right away that it was over. I was sure of myself, because I had anticipated it,” he said.

Despite the abrupt end to his playing days, Varane has remained at Como in a senior off-field capacity. The four-time Champions League winner, now 33, works on the club’s youth development and education programmes and holds an investment stake in the project.

His United tenure was defined as much by the instability above him as by his own injury troubles, with several managers coming and going during his three years at Old Trafford. He arrived as one of the most decorated defenders in the world but was never able to sustain the consistent run of games that might have justified his transfer fee.