Thursday saw France undergo one of their first public trainings ahead of the World Cup, and it was very noticeable that neither Karim Benzema and Manchester United’s Raphaël Varane took part in group activities.
The pair warmed up with the rest of their teammates, but as soon as the session became more active, the pair immediately went to one side to do some individual exercises.
L’Equipe pick up on this, recalling the Manchester United defender got injured back on October 22nd against Chelsea, and was in a race against time to be picked by Didier Deschamps.
He didn’t make an appearance for the Red Devils in the meantime, leaving Erik ten Hag a man short at the back, but the fact he was chosen suggested he would be fit for the first game of the World Cup against Australia.
The French newspaper have been told it’s a ‘simple delay’, and point out that while he and Benzema weren’t with the group, they did ‘increase their workload’ a fair amount, extending their sprints and such for a good half hour.
However, Varane hasn’t been able to use his thigh to its full ability just yet, but the exercises and him feeling good doing them have ‘validated an important step in the Frenchman’s return’.
The next one would be for him to take part in a group session either on Friday or Saturday, because that’s the only way he will be ‘seen as ready to be considered’ for the game on Tuesday, meaning there are now ’48 decisive hours’ ahead.
The Manchester United player himself feels good, but a lot will depend on how he reacts to that more intense session, and if he is declared fit, ‘there are no doubts that Raphaël Varane will be a starter against Australia on Tuesday’.
Still, with this little setback, the window is getting ‘tighter and tighter’, and the next day or so will be crucial for the centre-back.
