Former Manchester United captain Gary Neville has expressed worry over the reports of his old club intending to offer new contracts to Raphael Varane and Victor Lindelöf.
The Frenchman joined the Red Devils from Real Madrid in the 2021/22 season. After claiming a starting spot for himself, injuries and a bad run of form saw him become less prominent in 2022/23. That issue has carried on into the 2023/24 season where he is now in fierce competition with other struggling centre-backs at the club.
Victor Lindelöf, on the other hand, has been at Manchester United since 2017 and is one of the oldest serving players in the current iteration of the squad. However, he has been a squad player for most of his time at Old Trafford, only called upon when there are injuries to the preferred players or for less important games.
Both players are out of contract at the end of the current season and United have decided to extend both their stays. Their struggles are not news to United fans, who have asked the club to move on from both players to facilitate the rebuild they so desperately need.
Neville has lent his voice to the calls for United to think twice about extending the stays of the two defenders, insisting that defence is the first place that the club needs to overhaul.
The former fullback-turned-broadcaster took to social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) to vent his frustrations about the report. “If United are looking to renew Lindelöf and Varane (on reduced terms) I’m worried,” he posted.
“We have to start afresh as much as possible. Whilst these 2 aren’t bad players by any stretch, a message must be sent to everyone inside and outside of the club that it’s not going to tolerate the levels over the last few years.”
Man United have entered a new dispensation, however, which means the rebuild that the fans are craving is coming soon. This is a result of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS Group acquiring a majority stake in the club which allows him sole control of the footballing area.
Talks about his reforms have filled the media, which is why the reports of a possible extension for Varane and Lindelöf are not being met with optimism among the United fan base.
They have been linked to Jean-Claire Todibo, a defender for OGC Nice, one of the clubs under the INEOS Group. However, it looks like the young defender is closer to Tottenham Hotspur than he is to Manchester United.
It remains to be seen how United will handle the case of Lindelöf and Varane. However, reports indicate that the renewals are all but done and only waiting to be made official.
