Gary Neville has given reasons for Raphael Varane not having the same impact on Manchester United as Virgil van Dijk has had on Liverpool.
United seemed to have made a big move when they bought Varane from Real Madrid in 2021 for £42million.
The defender had been with Los Blancos for ten years, winning four Champions Leagues and three La Lia titles, as well as the 2018 World Cup with France.
However, at Old Trafford, he has been inconsistent, and he has also been absent for 39 games due to injury. The 30-year-old recently revealed his issues with concussions..
Speaking on The Overlap, Neville was asked which current Liverpool star he would 'steal' for United and he chose Van Dijk, saying that the team needs a strong presence in the defense.
When asked why he thought Varane had not provided that as many had expected, Neville added: 'I don't think he will ever be that player.
'In my opinion, when I watch Varane, he defends his part of the pitch and the box very well. He heads out a lot of balls and is dominant in the air.
'I just think he's the kind of center-half who will always do his own job really well, although he might have been at Real Madrid when he was playing alongside [Sergio] Ramos. I don't think he will influence the players around him.
'And that's not a criticism, because there are many great center-halves who do their job very well without actually managing a back four.
'A great center-half who can manage a back four is like your Van Dijks, your [John] Terrys – great players. But he is just one of those great center-halves who does his own job really well, I think.'
As much as United fans might dislike admitting it, there are several Liverpool players who would improve the Red Devils, especially Mohammed Salah, but Neville thinks the current Reds captain would be the best 'steal'.
'I just feel that Van Dijk would bring authority to the team and a presence that we don't have. We don't have a forward as good as Mo Salah, but we have skilled forwards,' he added.
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'He's not the same as some of those that I've mentioned, but he is quite dominant on the pitch, he communicates more than people might think, and he has an aura about him.
'And I believe that if you want to change Manchester United's entire culture, then they need that authoritative person who holds them together. And I think Van Dijk would control [Kobbie] Mainoo, even someone like Antony or [Marcus] Rashford. I think he would build them, not break them.'
United are preparing to play arch-rivals Liverpool on Sunday, but before that, they have mid-week matches against Chelsea and Sheffield United.
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