Raphael Varane has revealed that he decided to retire from international football due to struggling to cope with football’s ‘overloaded schedule’.
Varane called time on his international career on Thursday, despite seemingly being at his peak and still two months shy of his 30th birthday.
But the Manchester United defender has opened up on how having to consistently play at the highest level has taken its toll on him and led to him taking the difficult decision to stop playing for France.
‘I gave everything, physically and mentally. But the very highest level is like a washing machine, you play all the time and you never stop,’ Varane said in an interview with Canal+ that is due to be released in full on Sunday.
‘We have overloaded schedules and play non-stop. Right now, I feel like I’m suffocating and that [Varane] the player is gobbling up [Varane] the man.’
Varane’s announcement was even more of a shock considering he appeared to be in pole position to be France’s next captain after Hugo Lloris confirmed his international retirement last month.
Varane picked up 93 caps for his country after making his debut in 2013, and was a mainstay at the heart of the defence for a decade.
He played every minute at the 2018 World Cup as Les Bleus lifted the trophy for the second time in their history, and he played a key role in France’s run to the final in Qatar last year.
The 29-year-old also won the Nations League with his country in 2021, as France came from behind to beat Spain 2-1 in the final.
Jadon Sancho posted an emotional message on social media after he returned to action for the first time in three months on Wednesday in the EFL Cup.
Sancho made his first appearance for United since October against Nottingham Forest after some “physical and mental” problems and posted an emotional message on social media thanking the fans. It was his first post back on any platform after he deleted all content late last year.
As the season started, Sancho looked to be integral to Erik ten Hag’s rebuild, scoring two goals in their opening five games including a composed finished against Liverpool. Since then he has seen a drop-off in form, and had been training alone since the World Cup after being excluded from the Dutchman’s first-team plans.
The Red Devils take on Crystal Palace next in the Premier League and Sancho will be hoping to gain more minutes as he eyes a full return to first team action.
SOURCE: SOURCE: dailymail.co.uk, goal.com
