Raphael Varane has revealed he pulled out of a Manchester United match due to “life-threatening” concussions.
The Man United star said he felt “abnormally tired” and highlighted two matches where he felt affected by concussion symptoms, which forced him to withdraw.
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Speaking to L’Equipe, the 30-year-old said: “During a match, I performed a series of headers, and in the days that followed, I felt abnormally tired as well than severe eye fatigue.
“I reported to the staff that I was not fit to play and they strongly recommended that I not play.
“I took a test from a doctor whose results were sent to the staff and I did not play the following match.
“But if I hadn’t asked to take those tests, I probably would have been fielded a few days later and, to be honest, I felt bad that I didn’t play the next match because of a migraine.”
It’s not just this season that Varane has felt the effects of a concussion, going all the way back to 2014 when he admitted to playing through a head injury at the World Cup.
After reflecting on the incident, the former Real Madrid star admitted he had to be more careful after realizing constant problems could be “potentially fatal”.
He added: “I wasn’t going to miss a World Cup quarter-final because I was a bit tired.
“I felt eye fatigue. Looking back, I say to myself: ‘If I had known it was a concussion, would I have said it, even if it meant not playing that match?’
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“The staff wondered if I was fit. I was diminished, but in the end I played and quite well, even if I lost that duel against (Mats) Hummels (for Germany’s winning goal).
“What we will never know is what would have happened if I had suffered another head impact.
“When we know that repeated concussions have a potentially fatal effect, we say to ourselves that things can go very badly.”
At Real Madrid, Varane made two glaring errors against Manchester City in the Champions League in 2020 and he insists it was down to a heavy blow he suffered against Getafe the previous week.
Varane said: “I felt it from the warm-up. I said to myself ‘wake up’. I couldn’t concentrate to stay in my match, I was like a spectator.
“The match went badly for me and, looking back, I understood that it was linked to the shock I suffered.”
At United, injuries have held Varane back in the past, but this season he has managed 29 appearances in all competitions, missing just four matches through illness or injury.
After falling down the pecking order under Erik ten Hag earlier in the campaign, the World Cup winner has won back his place in the team, often alongside Harry Maguire or Jonny Evans at the back.
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