Varane is no longer glass

Varane, who was dragging the fragile player sanbenito, is no longer made of glass. The Madrid central defender is the second most used player by Zidane this season, with 1,800 minutes, only surpassed by Courtois, who has played it all (1,890 '). The Frenchman accumulates 95% of the possible minutes, to which must be added 460 'played with France in the different international breaks in the first months of the season. In the absence of finding regularity in his game, recurring physical problems are history for Varane.

In fact, he is one of the players with the greatest presence on the pitch of the five main European leagues this season: it is the 11th with the most minutes played among the teams from Spain, France, Germany, Italy and England, the 7th if only outfield players are taken into account. In that second group, in Spain, only Sevilla's Diego Carlos surpasses him, with a 20-minute lead over the French defender.

In addition, he is in the Top-10 of the players who have played the most minutes during 2020, worldwide: 4,303 ', only surpassed by Lukaku, Bruno Pacheco, Bruno Fernandes, Messi, Rubén Dias and Maguire; the United center-back leads the table with 5,015 minutes, the only one to break the 5,000 mark.

Nothing to do with his first years as a recurring player in Real Madrid's starting eleven: in the 2013-14 season he missed 24 games, the result of a meniscus tear at the end of the 2012-13 academic year that left serious sequelae; in 2015-16 there were another eleven meetings; in 2016-17, another 17 games due to six different injuries; and in 2017-18, four other ailments that left him out of six duels. In 2018-19 he barely missed five games due to two injuries and in last season, 2019-20, only one game lost due to trauma. A hopeful evolution for Varane, who at 27 has found his physical fulfillment.

Souvenirs from Manchester

Now he needs to refine his game, still weighed down by those mistakes against Manchester City in the Champions League last year, for which he was fully responsible: “I want to face up because this defeat is mine, I have to take it. We had prepared it. good, but mistakes are paid. I'm sad. ” This course, the Frenchman has been seen to be hesitant, especially when Ramos has not been to accompany him in the center of the rear.

The last example, against Granada in Valdebebas, when he gave a ball after 20 seconds of games that almost did not end 1-0 for the Nasrid team. Varane has the absolute confidence of Zidane to channel that situation and return to his best point of form; A trust that is mutual, since the return of Marseille to the white bench was what tipped the balance for Varane to stay at Madrid, after the doubts that arose in him during the 2018-19 season.