Manchester United defender Raphael Varane has become the latest star to hit out at the congested fixture lists that players face at club and national level, claiming that ‘the very highest level is like a washing machine, you play all the time and you never stop’.
The Frenchman decided to call time on his international career earlier this week, retiring after 93 appearances and two World Cup finals for Les Bleus, and after lifting the World Cup in 2018.
And, despite still being just 29-years-old, the former Real Madrid man is keen to point out just how taxing the current set of fixtures can be for players, with some set to play up to 70 games this season alone.
“The very highest level is like a washing machine, you play all the time and you never stop”, the defender explained. “We have overloaded schedules and play non-stop. Right now, I feel like I’m suffocating and that the player is gobbling up the man.”
Manchester United and Varane now face a run akin to that which he is describing, with the Red Devils playing a further seven games in the remainder of February, a clash every midweek and midweek between now and the end of the month that includes a two-legged Europa League tie against Barcelona and concludes with a Carabao Cup final against Newcastle United.
They will be without the banned Casemiro, sent off for violent conduct during their 2-1 win over Crystal Palace, for both clashes against Leeds and the home tie with Leicester City, while Lisandro Martinez is banned for the first leg of the clash with Barcelona, meaning that Ten Hag’s squad is set to be thoroughly tested before the end of the month.
