Man United: Varane explains how 'destiny' brought him to Old Trafford

The United defender has opened up on his special relationship with the club, even before joining them last summer.

Raphael Varane joined Manchester United on a £34 million deal last summer after he ended his ten-year stay at Real Madrid. He was famously close to joining the Red Devils before his move to Santiago Bernabeu in 2011.

However, despite Sir Alex Ferguson’s interest, the move fell through and Varane went on to spend a successful spell in the Spanish capital. Seven months into his first campaign at Old Trafford, the French defender says he always knew he would join the club someday.

“Yes [it felt like destiny],” he told the club’s website. “Manchester United has always been a special club for me, with a big history.

“I always followed this club and, you know, I have great memories about, for example, Champions League or great games in the Premier League. Obviously, it’s a great club and, of course, I always followed Manchester United.”

Compared to many other players, Varane has struggled less in his efforts to adapt to Premier League football. Having made 19 league appearances for the Red Devils, the Frenchman admits the intensity of the games has surprised him.

“Yeah, the games are very difficult,” he confessed. “You can’t be relaxed, you can be winning a game and you know if you have ten minutes to play, anything can happen.

“I think it’s the best league in the world and the intensity is absolutely amazing. Every team has players with top quality. Tactically, it’s a very high level and there are a lot of players and coaches from everywhere. So it’s a mix about different cultures and different styles of players and of mentality. I think that is why the league is top because it’s the best from everywhere.”