Manchester United: Will Raphael Varane Be the Next Sensation at Old Trafford?

Congratulations Manchester United for making it to the Wembley for the Champions League Final (that is a prediction come true). As United seems to be flying high at the moment, Sir Alex Ferguson will definitely have some good cash in hand at the end of the season to crack some worthy deals for the Red Devils.

Though Sir Alex has repeatedly said about his satisfaction with the present squad and unwillingness to invest in inflated markets, still the dire need for some investments in the present squad is quite naked and clear. 

The dependency ratios on players like Rio Ferdinand and Michael Carrick, who once have been the epitomes of success for United, have drastically reduced at present times. The choice then remains at replacing the system to inject some new energy into it. 

While United's buy at defense, Chris Smalling, has already started showing sparks in the games, the fans hope that the manager can think of some more new shoes to replace the likes of Wes Brown or Rio Ferdinand. Wes Brown has been awfully shameful for United, and Ferdinand though "still super," still he misses a large number of games due to his growing age and injury problems.

And then it comes to someone like Jonny Evans or Chris Smalling to hold the anchor with the Superhero Red Devil Nemanja Vidic. As I said, Smalling has been on the road of proving himself with some really good performances, but Jonny Evans seems to get stuck to an "average" benchmark at the moment.

It has been reported that the United boss has nearly cracked a deal with French team Lens to land the 18-year-old French starlet Raphael Varane. Though Varane signed a two-year contract with his team Lens, still the media reports that the United boss is confident about the "nearly done" deal. The deal is reported to be around $3.7 million. But what can Varane offer United?

Raphael Varane has made about 17 impressive appearances for his team this season and has been on the radar of many managers for his defensive prowess at such tender age. At a towering height of about 6.3 ft, Varane has been a stand-out player for French young teams of U21s and U19s. Varane, if signed, can really add some good support to the mainframe defenders of United and can also be used as a defensive midfielder at times when needed.

Varane is going to be the first signing for United for the next season. And what more, United will beat Arsene Wenger in capturing Varane if the deal finalises, since the Fenchman is again looking for his cheapest options from his country and been on a competition with United to sign Varane.

United has been linked with several other player names, hottest of them being Wesley Sneijder or Javier Mascherano, but only time will tell what lies in the great mind of Sir Alex Ferguson.