Raphael Varane has named his dream defensive partner from retired Manchester United stars – and picked former Barcelona, Inter Milan and France centre-back Laurent Blanc.
The former Real Madrid defender has used their international connection as the reason for his selection, having narrowly missed out on a spell working with the 56-year-old who won the World Cup 20 years before him.
Blanc, who won a Premier League title under Sir Alex Ferguson during the final year of his professional career, left his role as France manager the year before Varane’s debut in 2013.
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When asked which retired United player he would love to play with the most, Varane said: “Good question. I would like to say maybe Laurent Blanc because he’s a French defender, like me, and a great player.”
Blanc won the World Cup with France in 1998 and had success as a manager winning a Ligue 1 title with Bordeaux and three with PSG between 2009 and 2016.
Varane made the revelation while taking part in a Q&A with United fans, having also been asked about what makes his current club so special.
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(Image: Getty Images)
He replied: “I think Old Trafford, it’s special. I think the fans are amazing. We feel the support all the time and everywhere in the world.”
One question he couldn’t answer was in regards to the greatest player of all-time, saying that he couldn’t possibly choose.
He said: “Good question. It’s difficult to answer. I have no one favourite player but I just enjoy the football in general.”
(Image: Getty Images)
(Image: Getty Images)
Back in 2018, Blanc told Marca that it was an honour to be compared to the four-time Champions League winner.
He said: “He’s better than me and although he has luck, he has, above all, a talent that allows him to grow up in one of the biggest clubs in the world.
“He has been European champion with Real Madrid four times already and has more than 50 matches with France. This is something that had hardly been seen in any French player and less in a defender. It’s an honour to be compared to him.”
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