Raphael Varane was absent from the Manchester United squad in their 3-0 loss to Newcastle United that saw them knocked out of the Carabao Cup.
Erik ten Hag made seven changes to the side that suffered a heavy defeat in the Manchester derby — Varane was an unused substitute that day as Jonny Evans and Harry Maguire were the centre-back duo.
Considering the four-time Champions League winner hasn't featured since he played 90 minutes against Copenhagen on October 24, questions are being raised over the player's fitness amid speculation of a potential falling out.
The Sporting News takes a look at what we know regarding his availability.
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Where is Raphael Varane?
As United kicked off against Newcastle, it was reported that the Frenchman was missing due to an illness.
Varane is ill. #mufc
— Samuel Luckhurst (@samuelluckhurst) November 1, 2023
The illness is, however, unknown and so is his availability for United's trip to Fulham on November 4 is unknown.
Ten Hag said he left out Varane against Manchester City due to "tactical" reasons. He said: "I chose [Jonny] Evans as the starter and Varane on the bench from a tactical point of view, yes. Exactly.
"When you play City, they will press and play with Rapha [on the right] and [Harry] Maguire on the left, that can cause problems and you end up just playing long balls. He [Maguire] is, for me, better on the right, especially against teams that press high."
Varane has already missed a significant number of games this season when he picked up an injury against Nottingham Forest earlier in September. Despite that, the World Cup winner returned earlier than expected and started three times since making that recovery.
When is Raphael Varane back?
As of November 2, Varane's illness is unclear but Ten Hag will host his pre-Fulham press conference on Friday afternoon where questions from the media will be asked.
United's injury list is starting to improve as they welcomed back Aaron Wan-Bissaka in the second half against Newcastle. Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia and Lisandro Martinez remain out with long-term injuries.
