Mikael Silvestre believes Raphael Varane is as good as any defender in world football when he is fully fit, and he also thinks that the summer signing has all the credentials required to be a future Manchester United captain.
United spent £42million on Varane last summer as they looked to reinforce their defensive line with a world-class partner for club captain Harry Maguire. The French defender has impressed in his early months at the club, despite being setback by a few small injuries along the way.
The World Cup winner is still settling into life at Old Trafford, but former United defender and fellow countryman Silvestre has already seen enough to be blown away by the new arrival. When asked what he had made of his compatriot so far, the retired centre-back even compared Varane with Virgil van Dijk in terms of his ability.
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"He is a top player," Silvestre told the Manchester Evening News as part of an interview in association with bettingexpert. "He moved to Real Madrid when he was extremely young and he has won so many trophies over there.
"Real Madrid is a difficult club to succeed at. With France, he has been magnificent. At United, it has been on and off, probably due to his niggles and injuries. Nothing major, but it is start-stop. When he is on top, he is as good as a Thiago Silva, as a (Sergio) Ramos, as a Van Dijk."
Maguire's poor form this season has led to questions over whether he should continue to lead United as captain, particularly given the return of Cristiano Ronaldo and signing of Varane.
When quizzed on the possibility of the French defender ever taking over the armband, Silverstre added: "I think from the outside, a few years ago, he [Varane] was a bit of an introvert on the pitch. Like I was when I was quiet. I think he has grown; he has grown into more of a leader.
"Obviously, now that he knows his teammates, the language is not a barrier anymore. To be a leader, you need to be able to communicate, not necessarily shout, but at the back, you need to be guiding your teammates. He and Harry do that well. He has the credentials for sure to be club captain."
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