Varane's honest assessment of playing alongside Maguire and their relationship

Raphael Varane has opened up on what it is has been like to play alongside Harry Maguire at Manchester United since his summer arrival at Old Trafford.

The Frenchman was a star signing from Real Madrid, having won four Champions League and the World Cup before he joined United for a fee thought to be in the region of £40million.

While Varane has demonstrated his obvious top-level playing ability since arriving from Los Blancos, groin and hamstring injuries have limited him to only nine appearances in all competitions.

The 28-year-old is currently in the treatment room after suffering an injury early into the Champions League trip to Atalanta, though it is hoped he will return within the next fortnight.

HAVE YOUR SAY! Was Manchester United's signing of Raphael Varane a mistake? Comment below.

All but two appearances have come alongside Maguire, who has come under intense criticism for his performances this season.

Maguire has struggled to live up to the status of being United's captain, with the England international one of those struggling for form.

It is a far cry of what was expected to happen when Varane arrived in Manchester, with many pundits predicting the duo would form the basis of one of the league's best defensive partnerships.

Though Varane has impressed when fit, those predictions have not come true, with United holding the unwanted distinction of having the worst defensive record in the Premier League 's top seven.

The Frenchman has insisted though that Maguire can form a successful partnership, with United having won all of the games in which they have played all 90 minutes.

And he is equally confident that he can be just as successful when playing alongside United's other defensive options Victor Lindelof, Eric Bailly and Phil Jones.

"We have complementary qualities. I like to protect the back of the defence and he likes to go [slaps hands] in the contact," Varane told the Daily Telegraph of his relationship with Maguire.

"So, we can do both, but, obviously, because of our characteristics we prefer some situations and that's why we are complementary.

"We can also play with Victor, Eric or Phil, who have their own qualities, so there are many options."

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer signed Varane, but the Norwegian was sacked a fortnight ago, with Ralf Rangnick taking interim charge.

Rangnick's first game will come on Sunday when Crystal Palace visit Old Trafford and Varane believes the Red Devils can get their season back on track.

"Maybe it's about confidence as a group, as a team. Sometimes with Madrid we played very bad, but we stayed calm because we knew our moment was coming and we would kill them," he added.

"I remember games, for example, against Bayern Munich in the Champions League and they were better than us, but we won.

"This is confidence and we had to build it. Before starting to win the Champions League consecutively, it was not the same.

"The team had the same quality, but not the same result. So why? It's something mental. If we keep working, the results will come. We have to believe.

"We have to stay calm and focus on our work. That's what I say to my team-mates in the dressing room. There's no other choice."