'Shy' Varane already billed as a Man Utd leader as Fernandes hails £34m 'winner'

Raphael Varane is already being billed as "a leader" for Manchester United a matter of weeks after making a £34 million ($46m) move from Real Madrid, with Bruno Fernandes among those to have talked up the qualities of a "winner".

Another proven centre-half had figured prominently on the Red Devils' transfer wish list for several windows prior to a big-money deal being done for a France international over the summer.

A man that helped his country to World Cup glory in 2018 has now been added to the ranks at Old Trafford, with Varane catching the eye through his early outings in England as he finds his feet on a Premier League stage.

What has been said?

Red Devils talisman Fernandes believes there is more to come from Varane as he adjusts to new surroundings and team-mates, with the Portuguese playmaker telling United Review: "Of course, he's a winner. Everyone knows that. He's a nice guy and works really hard and is always pushing everyone to do better.

"I think he has a great mentality but, at the same time, we cannot forget the other players. Rapha has been brilliant, but Victor [Lindelof] has had an amazing, brilliant beginning to the season. Eric [Bailly] comes later because of the Olympic Games, but he's a player we trust a lot. 'H' [Harry Maguire] we already know is doing really well.

"At the same time, we have Phil [Jones] coming back to start playing with the Under-23s - we are really happy to have him back after a long, long stop for him. It's been difficult for him, being out of the team for a long time.

"Rapha is really important for us, and has been really important for us. But the main point is everyone being okay to do the best that they can. In football, we all have different qualities, and Rapha has different qualities to Victor, H, Eric and Phil, but they can all add different things.

"Still he's a little bit shy in some ways, because it's the beginning for him at United, but I think he's a leader. I think he can help in that part of the game."

Has Varane made a positive impact?

The 28-year-old Frenchman collected a clean sheet on debut for United in a 1-0 win away at Wolves.

He is still waiting on a second, with Champions League and Premier League defeats to Young Boys and Aston Villa suffered within his five outings so far.

Questions are once again being asked of whether the Red Devils are making progress under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, with big money invested in Varane, Jadon Sancho and Cristiano Ronaldo over the summer.

Momentum needs to be built from somewhere, with the Red Devils - who suffered a 1-0 home defeat to Aston Villa last time out - set to be back in action on Wednesday when they face Villarreal in their second Champions League fixture of 2021-22.