“Sometimes quality is not enough,” said Raphael Varane. Manchester United can testify to that. They have spent much of the last decade pursuing quality. Yet arguably it was not big names they needed but big characters. Varane, a World Cup winner with four medals from successful Champions League campaigns, had the profile and the pedigree. But as he seeks to end his second season at Old Trafford with the sheen of a second trophy, it may be because of personality as much as talent.
“You need the motivation, character, passion on the pitch, because in the top level in the Premier League, there are good players in any team,” the Frenchman said. “But to play in this kind of club you need something else… something different, that character to fight, to assume the responsibility, to never hide on the pitch, be ready to face every challenge you can.”
