Raphael Varane is a big player with an ego to match, and has clearly fallen out with Erik ten Hag, Mail Sport’s Chris Wheeler tells It’s All Kicking Off… with the row undermining the Man United manager

Erik ten Hag and Raphael Varane have 'obviously' fallen out and the result could be crucial for Manchester United, Mail Sport pundit Chris Wheeler told It's All Kicking Off.

The former Real Madrid player moved to Manchester in the summer of 2021 for a fee of £41 million plus add-ons and became a key player in the club's defense in the following seasons, and most importantly a stalwart of Ten Hag following his appointment in 2022.

But the relationship between the two men is increasingly falling out of favor at Old Trafford and it is thought to be irreparably broken, with the defender making just seven starting appearances in all competitions.

Both Varane and former Real Madrid teammate Casemiro are said to be on their way out of Old Trafford, possibly as soon as January, following the sale of a 25 percent stake in the club to Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

However, the battle between Varane and his manager could have much bigger implications for the dressing room whether he stays or goes, as Wheeler discussed with Mail Sport's Ian Ladyman.

The pair had a strong relationship during the Dutch manager's debut season and Varane was virtually impossible to drop

During this season's campaign, Varane has started just seven times in all competitions

“I think Ten Hag has support in the locker room,” Wheeler said. 'I think there is obviously a problem with Jadon Sancho. The one that I think concerns people is the Varane thing, which is very strange.

'He's a World Cup winner, he comes from Real Madrid, he's been an absolute shoe-in for a place in this team pretty much since he joined the club. And there is clearly an argument. Erik calls it rumors, he doesn't really bite into it.

'(But) there has been a very clear falling out between Ten Hag and Varane, mainly because he was dropped for the derby and the fact that Johnny Evans was played alongside (Harry) Maguire instead of him, and that was very difficult for someone like him to go and take.

'So I think it's a bad time for Erik Ten Hag to lose the support of senior players, and I think there's a certain amount of sympathy for Jadon Sancho, and Varane obviously has his allies in that dressing room.'

Wheeler added that it was not 'all roses' at Carrington, revealing that there had been some backlash to Ten Hag's sharp discipline with his players.

“I think when things go right, all these things work out great,” Wheeler added. “When something goes wrong, people start to get a little annoyed, and that's a concern.”

Ladyman noted that it was a 'dangerous' decision by Ten Hag to clash with a player of Varane's stature, and in light of the former World Cup winner's strong contributions during United's last campaign, as well as the way he would stand on the outside. affect his mood in the locker room.

“The bigger the player, the bigger the ego, the bigger the problem,” Wheeler agreed. 'The good example of that is of course the whole (Cristiano) Ronaldo thing last year. Of course, that eventually became untenable.

'I don't think Varane is on that scale. He's not that kind of player, not that kind of person. But you're absolutely right. When you have a senior player like that, he obviously has a big ego. He is proud. He is proud of what he has done in his career.

'He didn't come to Manchester United to play on the bench behind someone like Jonny Evans, who, with all due respect, is now 35. He wants to play, he should play on that team. This team isn't good enough to leave out Raphael Varane, you know.

Ten Hag has brought Harry Maguire (left) back into the ranks and is becoming increasingly dependent on Jonny Evans (right)

“When you have a senior player like that, a big name, a star name, who doesn't play, and I don't think anyone accuses him of excuses here, but you're absolutely right.

'You get players who are starting to groan a bit and they have allies of their own and they will be – they won't cause any problems but they certainly won't be a positive influence. And that's what he needs now.'

Ten Hag has little time to rebuild his relationship with Varane and reintegrate him into his squad amid a difficult run of fixtures as United look to maintain their Premier League position and advance in Europe.

Currently at the bottom of Group A, after a 3-3 draw against Galatasaray on Wednesday night, Man United must both beat Bayern Munich and hope the results will pay off in Copenhagen's meeting with the Turkish side for the knockout to reach the Champions League out-rounds.