A stunning late equalizer from Casemiro helped Manchester United to a 1-1 draw with Chelsea in the Premier League this weekend. However, the final score was tainted by an injury suffered by Raphael Varane in the second half, which necessitated his replacement.
A mistimed tackle in the 55th minute led to Varane going down, and he seemed to have injured his ankle. After remaining on the ground as United's medical personnel attended to him, the French defender walked off the field in tears comforted by his teammates, and was replaced by Victor Lindelof.
Since arriving in England in the summer of 2021 from Real Madrid, the 29-year-old centre-back has struggled with injuries. Realizing he was out for the rest of the game, he opted not to leave on a stretcher, strolling around the outside of the field, clearly distraught and maybe thinking about the World Cup.
How serious is Varane's injury and will he come back in time for the World Cup?
After the game, the Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag said that Varane will be checked out, but that it was too soon to tell how serious the injury was: "Nothing at this moment. We have all seen him come off but with an injury like this, we always have to wait a minimum of 24 hours and the medical staff can do their job and can set the diagnosis.
"I can understand [his reaction], we can all probably understand he will be emotional but he also has to wait, you don't know. He's experienced but the medicals have to do their job, have to make an assessment, set the right diagnosis, and from there on come to the conclusion."
The loss of Varane, who had recently formed a strong defensive combination with Lisandro Martinez, would be a major setback for United and the Frenchman if the injury turns out to be severe. Since the World Cup is starting in less than a month, he seemed to be especially worried that he may not be able to participate.
However, though Raphael Varane's World Cup participation is in jeopardy due to an injury, the situation may not be as dire as initially thought. French journalist Damien Dubras of Canal+, the biceps femoris has been damaged, causing a lesion in the player's body (hamstring).
Thus, even if he makes France's World Cup roster, he likely won't play in the first game against Australia. France manager Didier Deschamps may still choose to select the defender in his final 26-man roster despite the fact that he might not feature for the Old Trafford outfit again until Qatar.
