Raphael Varane has hailed Erik ten Hag for his debut season as Manchester United manager.
The Dutchman arrived at a club in crisis following turbulent spells under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick. Fan protests at the Glazers were rife and issues with Cristiano Ronaldo were on the horizon.
Back-to-back defeats were hardly the ideal start but Ten Hag has since rallied to impress in the Old Trafford hot seat. One trophy - the Carabao Cup - is already in the bag and United could clinch another, the FA Cup, next month.
Also read: Ten Hag will have to get creative with his Cup final XI
The narrative of a potential Manchester City treble adds further bite to the Wembley showdown, with Pep Guardiola aiming to replicate a feat only achieved by the Red Devils. On a personal note, Varane has forged a formidable partnership with summer arrival Lisandro Martinez.
Injuries have hampered the former Real Madrid man recently but he returned for the 2-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend. Speaking ahead of the trip to Bournemouth, Varane praised Ten Hag’s impact since his appointment last year.
“It’s been a great season with him (Ten Hag),” the centre-back said. “From day one he was clear in his reasoning and explanations of what he wanted from us and how he wanted us to play. We’ve learnt his style and I think it’s come together well.”
Varane’s compatriot Anthony Martial also insisted United’s Champions League dream is “in their hands” - dismissing pressure from Liverpool. The forward bagged his fifth goal of the season in the 2-0 win over Wolves.
“Winning our next games is important to achieve our season objective,” Martial added. “It’s in our own hands and we will do everything we can to try and achieve the top four.”
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