Former Manchester United star set for shock retirement just weeks after Old Trafford exit

Former Manchester United defender Raphael Varane is reportedly considering retiring from professional football after his latest setback.

The Frenchman ended his time as a free agent by signing for Serie A side Como. However, his debut was cut short after just 20 minutes as he suffered a serious knee injury.

As a result, reports suggested that the 31-year-old wasn't included in their final 25-man squad for the 2024/25 season after picking up the problem during their Coppa Italia clash with Salernitana. This week, fresh speculation has emerged over the future of Varane's career following four Champion League triumphs plus EFL and FA Cup success during his time at Old Trafford.

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La Parisien initially reported the news before Fabrizio Romano relayed the information, he said: "After his recent serious injury, Raphael Varane is considering to retire from professional football.

"He’s about to terminate his contract at Como." On Wednesday morning, he added: "Raphael Varane is seriously considering to retire from football with formal decision expected soon after his recent injury."

Injuries ravaged his time at United after his move to the Premier League from Real Madrid. In each of his last two seasons in England, he was reduced to 22 and 24 top-flight outings respectively following persistent injury issues.

Varane retired from international football in 2022, following France's World Cup defeat to Argentina, admitting that he had been weighing up the decision for a number of months.

"Representing our great country for a decade has been one of the greatest honours of my life," he said.

"Every time I wore this very special blue jersey I felt immense pride. The duty to give it all, play my heart out and win every time we put on the field.

"I've been contemplating this for several months and deciding it's the right time for me to retire internationally."