Raphael Varane has been forced to miss Manchester United games this season through concussion (Picture: Getty)
Raphael Varane has opened up on his struggles with concussion that have forced him to pull out of Manchester United matches this season.
The experienced defender has been operating at the top end of the European game for well over a decade having joined Real Madrid as a teenager.
Varane revealed he has been risking his health for a significant portion of his career, ever since taking a significant blow to his head during a game at the 2014 World Cup.
Varane confirmed symptoms forced him to withdraw from a United fixture this season, telling L’Equipe: ‘During a match, I performed a series of headers, and in the days that followed I felt abnormal fatigue as well as severe eye fatigue.
‘I reported to the staff that I was not fit to play and they strongly recommended that I not play. I took a test from a doctor, the results of which were passed on to the staff and I did not play for following match.
‘But if I hadn’t asked to take these tests, I probably would have been lined up a few days later and, to be honest, I felt bad that I didn’t play the next game because of a migraine.’
Raphael Varane played a World Cup quarter-final while suffering with concussion (Picture: Getty)
Raphael Varane’s errors saw Real Madrid crash out of the Champions League following a defeat against Man City2020 (Picture: Getty)
‘I wasn’t going to miss a World Cup quarter-final because I was a little tired,’ he admitted,’ he added.
‘I felt eye fatigue. Looking back, I say to myself: If I had known it was a concussion, would I have said it, even if it meant not playing this match?
‘The staff wondered if I was suitable. I was diminished, but ultimately I played and rather well, even if I lost this duel against [Mats] Hummels [for Germany’s winning goal].
‘What we will never know is what would have happened if I had taken another impact to the head. When you know that repeated concussions have a potentially fatal effect, you tell yourself that things can go very wrong.’
One of the most infamous performances of Varane’s career came in a Champions League clash against Manchester City back in July 2020.
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The usually ultra-composed centre-half committed several uncharacteristic errors that resulted in his side being eliminated from the competition, but he has now revealed those mistakes were a consequence of a blow he took during a league game the week before.
‘I felt it from the warm-up. I said to myself, ‘wake up,’ he said. ‘I couldn’t concentrate on staying in my match, I was like a spectator.
‘The match went badly for me and, with hindsight, I realised it was linked to the shock I had suffered.’
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