As we enter that period of the season where football supporters analyse the league tables just that little bit closer than usual, Manchester United's supporters are longing for the season to reach its conclusion.
The 2021/22 campaign is not going to be one that any United supporter looks back on with fondness, even if they somehow pull together a shock winning run together to sneak into the top-four. It is not likely to be a campaign that is remembered by Raphael Varane either.
Signed from Real Madrid last summer, Varane — who made a rockstar's entrance ahead of United's 5-1 hammering of Leeds on the opening day of the season at Old Trafford in August — has made just 25 appearances in all competitions this season. That means has missed a third of their fixtures. It has been far from the debut season in England that the Frenchman would have dreamt of.
READ MORE: Manchester United have only three players that Erik ten Hag can build a team around
United, following the capture of Jadon Sancho in late-July, were determined to sign a world-class central-defender to partner Harry Maguire at the heart of the defence and lay the foundations for a title tilt. In Varane, they could not have sourced a better candidate.
He has built his career on winning trophies, playing alongside star-studded players and performing at the very highest level. What could have possibly gone wrong?
His availability, that's where. He has missed 14 games, 11 of which have been in the Premier League, so United have struggled to develop the partnership between Varane and Maguire they'd earmarked.
It has been a frustrating situation for everyone, not least Varane, who arrived at Old Trafford without an 'injury-prone' tag dangling from his neck. Like any footballer, he has experienced niggles and complaints over the years, but he has never been one who's been on the treatment table for too long.
But while his first season at Old Trafford has been derailed by injury issues, as well as illness on a couple of occasions, his presence has been felt when on the pitch, leading by example with composed displays at the back. It's no coincidence that United have lost more games without him than with him this season?
United have lost eight times in the Premier League this season and on six of those occasions, including Saturday's defeat to Everton, they have been without the 2018 World Cup winner. The only league defeats he has featured in this season have been the 1-0 defeats to Aston Villa and Wolves at Old Trafford.
Although it is a long-running football cliché that you lose as a team and win as a team — meaning you can't just pin those six other defeats solely on Varane's absence — it is impossible to ignore that record. United have conceded 24 goals in the 12 league games Varane has played no part in since he joined, compared to the 17 they have conceded in the 18 matches he has featured in.
Those statistics highlight how big a miss Varane has been for United this season. Now, this is not to suggest that all United's current problems would have been avoided if the Frenchman had been more available, but his presence has certainly been sorely missed, confirmed by the numbers.
But it shows that United were to right to spend an initial fee of £34million on luring him to Old Trafford. Yes, his availability has been lot less than what the club hoped, but nobody could have foreseen that.
In a season where just about everything that could have gone wrong at Old Trafford has gone wrong, Varane, when available, has proven himself a smart signing. Next season will mark the beginning of a new dawn and the slate will be wiped clean.
Varane will be able to start afresh and, hopefully, prove on a consistent basis that he can replicate the success he enjoyed at Real Madrid.
Sign up to our United newsletter so you never miss an update from Old Trafford this season.
