Having lost his starting position to Harry Maguire over the course of the most recent few games, Raphael Varane is going to have to put up a battle in order to regain his starting position, according to Erik ten Hag, the manager of Manchester United.

According to Ten Hag, the Frenchman was an indisputable starter for the team when he was healthy during the previous season. However, the situation has changed, and Maguire is now favored above him for the right center-back role.

There is no doubt that the Dutch tactician is of the opinion that Victor Lindelof, Jonny Evans, and Luke Shaw are more suitable possibilities at the present. This is the reason why he has been reluctant to play him from left center back.

During an interview with BeIN Sports, Ten Hag stated that Maguire made the most of his opportunity when Varane was sidelined. He also made a veiled reference to the fact that Varane needs to make a comeback in order to secure his starting position.

As he spoke, he stated, “He has already taken his chance, but that will always come.” We were just discussing guys who were injured, so he took advantage of the fact that Raphael Varane was not available to play.

“When you have a squad, I believe that should be considered a regular form of internal competition at top clubs. You are required to seize the opportunity when it presents itself, and the others are required to put up a fight.

However, Ten Hag would prefer a left center defender who is more comfortable playing on his left foot. This was in response to the question of whether Maguire and Varane are vying for the same position. Ten Hag stated that they are able to play together.”They are able to play together in certain games,” he clarified further. However, when I first arrived here, I had the idea that I wanted to have a player on the left side of my defense who was comfortable playing on his left foot. This is because playing on your left foot provides you with more and better angles. The reason I explained it from the beginning is because of this.

Because of this, we decided to bring in Licha Martinez so that she could have that left foot. On the other hand, we have other players, such as Victor Lindelof, Jonny Evans, and Luke Shaw, who are capable of filling that role as well. Every single one of them is capable of playing that position, and it is a good fit for both our playing style and my attitude of how I view the game.

Over the course of the most recent few matches, Varane has been a consistent substitute. Prior to the Manchester derby that took place a month ago, Maguire was partnered with Evans. In his revelation, Ten Hag stated that the decision was entirely strategic.

After then, the manager continued to use the same collaboration for a number of games up until the point where Evans sustained an injury. Lindelof was selected to start alongside Maguire in the starting eleven for the match against Luton Town than Maguire.

According to the interview that Ten Hag gave, it is not going to come as a surprise to us if Shaw is selected alongside Maguire this coming weekend. Following the muscular injury he sustained, he has been participating in full-time training for the past few of weeks.