Man United make decision on defender’s future

Manchester United suffered a ninth Premier League defeat of the season as they lost 2-1 to Nottingham Forest on Saturday. 

The Red Devils have endured a difficult season so far and things went from bad to worse when Nicolas Domingues put the hosts ahead at The City Ground.

Marcus Rashford briefly levelled things up, before Morgan Gibbs-White restored Forest’s lead and earned a memorable victory for Nuno Esperito Santo’s side.

The result leaves Erik ten Hag’s side seventh in the top flight table, while Forest climb up to 15th.

Off the pitch, United have made a big decision on the future of one of their defenders.

As reported by Ben Jacobs, the club have decided not to trigger a 12-month extension to Raphael Varane’s current contract.

The Frenchman’s current deal is set to expire in the summer of 2025, but United have the option to trigger a one-year extension.

Varane faces an uncertain future at Manchester United

It is claimed, though, that while they will not trigger the extension, they could offer the France international a new deal on reduced terms.

Varane, 30, joined United from Spanish giants Real Madrid back in 2021 and has since made 79 appearances across all competitions.

The centre-back initially played an integral role for the Red Devils, but he appears to have fallen out of favour in recent weeks.

Ten Hag has primarily used Harry Maguire and Johnny Evans in central defence over the past couple of months, while Victor Lindelof has also featured ahead of Varane at times.

Varane is also said to be the subject of interest from clubs in the Saudi Arabian Pro League, although the possibility of a move to the Middle East has been played down, Jacobs claims.

Both Al-Ittihad and Al-Nassr – where Varane’s former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo now plays – have shown an interest in the 93-time france international.