Following the impending signing of Real Madrid’s Raphael Varane, former Premier League striker Kevin Phillips believes Manchester United are building a solid foundation.
Varane, 28, is expected to fly to England next week to complete his transfer to Manchester United after the Red Devils reached an agreement with Florentino Perez’s Los Blancos (as per Fabrizio Romano).
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s capture of the 2018 World Cup winner is not only a hugely smart piece of business, especially when the fee is understood to be well below £50m, but it is also a signal of intent from the club’s hierarchy.
Varane, a centre-back with such a high profile as well as a track record of winning some of the sport’s biggest trophies, is expected to form one half of a long-term partnership with club captain Harry Maguire.
Assessing how the Red Devils’ summer transfer business, Phillips, who spoke exclusively to Football Insider, believes Solskjaer will now have one of the best centre-back pairings in all of world football.
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“You build a good side with a solid defence,” Phillips said.“Varane coming in alongside Harry Maguire, with Luke Shaw and Aaron Wan-Bissaka is a very good backline.
“Wan-Bissaka is due a good season and Shaw was brilliant during the summer.
“From the era I played in when you had your Ferdinand’s and Vidic’s, it’s like Man United are getting back to that.
“Bringing in established players with that quality and in Varane they have that, he’s brilliant.
“I imagine the players are delighted, it gives you a load of confidence, especially for the attackers.
“They now have two of the best in the world for that position, maybe it’s a sign of the times that they are getting back to where they once were.”