Ex-Man Utd star Raphael Varane considering retirement after just 23 MINUTES for new club
Former Manchester United and Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane is weighing up his future after suffering a serious knee injury on his debut for Italian club Como
by Matthew Cooper · The MirrorFormer Manchester United and Real Madrid star Raphael Varane is reportedly considering retiring, just two months after signing for Como.
Varane left United at the end of last season after his contract expired and made the move to Serie A club Como, putting pen to paper on an initial two-year deal. However, the 31-year-old suffered a serious knee injury on his debut against Sampdoria in the Coppa Italia.
Varane was forced off after just 23 minutes and was subsequently removed from Como's Serie A squad as he is expected to be out of action for a while. French outlet La Parisien are now reporting that Varane is considering retiring from football altogether.
The defender has suffered a number of injury problems in recent years and it is claimed the latest issue could spell the end of his storied career, which has seen him win four Champions Leagues, three La Liga titles and the FA Cup.
When Varane joined Como in July, he said the challenge of helping the club establish themselves in Serie A was "super exciting" and that he was "very happy" to be linking up with manager Cesc Fabregas.
"I'm very happy and excited about this new project, and I can't wait to get started and meet up with the team and my team-mates," Varane told club media. "There's also the physical preparation for the season to look forward to.
"At first, I was curious to find out what the project was all about, and then I immediately saw that it was special, different from any other I'd been offered, so I wanted to know more. The more I learned about the project, the more interesting it became, giving me a different perspective on what I wanted to do.
"Once the project came along, it went straight to the top of the list, and we managed to close the deal. I'm very happy. There's a lot to do, and it’s very exciting. I have a lot of experience at the highest level, and now to be able to share that knowledge and help a club build itself up and hopefully reach the top is super exciting.
"I'm meeting Cesc again, but not as an opponent this time. I'm very happy, I really like his philosophy of play and his passion for football. When we spoke it was so easy to understand each other, so I hope we'll have very positive results. In any case, I'm coming with a great deal of humility to help the team and the club grow."
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