Raphael Varane admits Ronaldo delight but remains wary of Man Utd "challenges"

Raphael Varane is delighted to be playing alongside Cristiano Ronaldo again but his happiness is tempered by the challenges facing Manchester United.

The Red Devils defender spent seven years with Ronaldo at Real Madrid and the pair were reunited at Old Trafford after separate transfers last summer.

But Varane's new club have failed to hit the heights that he was expecting, best displayed by their dismal 0-0 draw against Watford on Saturday, with the 28-year-old himself struggling to play regularly due to a raft of injury issues.

However, spending time with the five-time Ballon d'Or winner on and off the pitch has been beneficial for Varane, telling Canal Plus: "We have a very good relationship.

"It's someone who likes to share, who likes to talk about everything he knows in terms of football, in terms of physical and mental preparation.

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"We don't hesitate to talk about everything that surrounds the life of a professional footballer. It's a great experience to play with him.

"His competitive, winning mentality is a plus for the team."

While United's defence is still vulnerable even with his composed presence, Varane says he 'feels good' after starting nine of their 12 last matches.

"I feel better and better, it's true that I have been able to have a bit of continuity in training and matches over the last few weeks," the France international added.

"I had a few setbacks at the start of the season but now things are going better. I feel more and more at ease, I also speak a little more English and then I know my teammates better.

"We are approaching the decisive period of the season and we are all ready to face the challenges that await us."

Varane has spent the vast majority of his season career playing in Spain's La Liga and admitted that he has been tested by the rigours of the Premier League.

"The biggest difference, we will say, is the intensity of the matches," the centre-back explained.

"It's true that in the Premier League, in every match there is a lot of opposing pressure, there are a lot of counter-attacks, I have a lot more duels, there are more actions per match.

"In Spain it's a little more calm, we prepare more actions. The workouts are also different, there is a lot of rhythm too.

"For me it's a challenge to rediscover yourself, to renew yourself each time and it's good not to stay in your comfort zone and to precisely seek out what you can do best."

Varane, who is used to fighting for league titles, was also quizzed on his team's fading ambitions for the rest of the season - notably before to their clash with Watford at Old Trafford.

The result goes down a slip in the race to finish in the top four and qualify for the Champions League, but their No.19 was clearly confident when speaking prior.

"I think the potential of this team we all see," he added pre-match. "We can aim high with the quality that there is in this group. Now at the end of the season we will focus on fourth place.

"That's the goal, to qualify for the Champions League. This season has been quite hectic, quite complicated and so we are really focusing on this objective."