The sight of Raphael Varane fighting back the tears as he trudged his way back towards the tunnel during Manchester United's 1-1 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening was one of deep concern.
The Frenchman was forced off on the hour mark and replaced by Victor Lindelof after stretching for the ball in an attempt to try and rob it off the toes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Varane landed awkwardly and his decision to bury his head inside his shirt, all while staring at nothing more than the Stamford Bridge turf, told its own story.
A L'Equipe report on Sunday suggested Varane may be sidelined for three weeks, keeping him in with a shout of making France's World Cup squad, but still ruling him out for United until the resumption of the domestic season on Boxing Day.
