Manchester United boss Ralph Rangnick has defended Raphael Varane over his latest display.
United lost ground on the top four this week after drawing with strugglers Newcastle United.
Centre-back Varane returned to action in the draw with Newcastle following around six weeks out injured, but he didn’t exactly impress.
The Frenchman came under criticism after committing an error that led to the Newcastle opener, but United interim boss Rangnick has reminded fans that one incident doesn’t define a performance.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Rangnick defender Varane, saying: “I mean, I don’t think I mean, Raphael hasn’t played for the last five or six weeks and even before the Tottenham game, he was injured.
“So in total in the last three months, he hasn’t played that many games. Yes, he made a mistake before the first goal that we conceded. But apart from that, I think he was OK.
“I wouldn’t say that he was outstanding, and the same with Harry, but they did OK.”
Rangnick has a point in defending Varane, given the defender was out for a large period of time.
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It was always going to be a difficult return for the Frenchman, and to some degree, Rangnick has to take responsibility for the risk having thrust Varane back in to play 90 minutes when he did.
Ultimately, Varane should only get stronger from here, so there is not time like the present for him to get those minutes under his belt following his recovery from injury.