Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has said that Raphael Varane remains a very important player in the squad amid speculation of a fall-out between the two.

The Frenchman has been a regular on the bench over the past few games with Ten Hag preferring Harry Maguire over him for the right centre-back position.

The manager has clearly stated that he does not fancy Varane in the left centre-back role and this has led to claims that the defender is unhappy at the club.

There was reportedly a frank exchange of words between the two last month but Ten Hag insists that is speculation and refused to speak on the topic today.

Instead, he mentioned that Varane is a very important player but there is internal competition.

The Dutchman said that he has two brilliant defenders in Varane and Maguire in the squad, but he can only choose one of them for the right centre-back role.

He told Manutd.com: “I don’t know what you’re talking about. It’s rumours. Very important player, but there’s internal competition and there should be at a top club, as we are.”

“And when you decide on two players who do brilliant – Raphael Varane and Harry Maguire – you also have to make a choice for that position.”

Varane’s future hangs in the balance
The World Cup winner has undergone a tough spell at United. He is currently behind the likes of Maguire, Evans and Lindelof in the pecking order for a starting position.

To make things worse, Ten Hag could also utilise the services of Luke Shaw in the heart of the defence. The Englishman played there in Lisandro Martinez’s absence last term.

It will be interesting to see whether Varane can turnaround his fortunes in the coming weeks. If he continues to remain a regular on the bench, he could consider a winter exit.

Bayern Munich are said to be monitoring him while there is interest from Saudi Arabia. The €40 million signing could be replaced by a new recruit at the beginning of the year.

United have identified Nice star Jean-Clair Todibo as their main objective for January.