Raphael Varane has revealed why he wanted to keep the shirt number he first wore at Real Madrid when he completed his move to Manchester United a year ago. United signed the French defender on a four-year deal worth £42million a year ago, and he quickly established himself as a key player at the club.
Varane, 29, impressed during his debut season but saw his playing time hampered by a string of injuries and illness that limited him to just 29 appearances in total.
He is looking to make up for lost time under new manager Erik ten Hag and has started the season in fine form with two standout performances last week.
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Looking back on his first year at United, Varane has been taking part in a Q&A session with fans, in which he was asked about his unique squad number.
Rather than push for a more popular number when he signed, the centre-back instead opted for the No.19 shirt that he wore during his first season at Real Madrid.
"The number 19 was my first number when I arrived in Real Madrid, so I wanted to do the same thing in another great club," he told club media."
Varane also wore the No.2 shirt for four seasons in Spain and had another five years with the No.5 on his back. Those two numbers were taken when he arrived at Old Trafford, and still are, by Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire respectively.
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