Manchester United Should Have Signed $69M Star Instead Of Raphael Varane: Wright-Phillips

Manchester United's recent signing in the 2021 summer transfer window was questioned by former Manchester City star Shaun Wright-Phillips Wednesday. The ex-winger insisted he would rather sign Ben White from Brighton instead of Real Madrid's Raphael Varane.

Arsenal recently signed 23-year-old White from Brighton at a fee of $69 million while Manchester United secured Varane from Real Madrid. The French defender recently underwent the first part of his medical at Old Trafford.

White has moved to the Emirates Stadium with a season of Premier League experience under his belt. He also won the Championship on loan at Leeds United in the 2019-20 season. On the other hand, Varane is heading to Manchester after spending a decade in Madrid, where he grabbed 360 first-team appearances.

On being asked if White will do better than Varane, former Manchester City winger Wright-Phillips said yes.

"One thing I thought Arsenal have missed is a defender like [White]. He has got an old-school mentality, but he can play football as well. Yes, I personally do [think he will do better than Varane]. I know it’s a big statement, but he’s used to the Premier League and he’s used to defending a lot for Brighton, week-in and week-out. Varane is coming into a whole new league and he’s going to be put under immense pressure. At this very moment, I would definitely sign Ben White," Wright-Phillips told talkSport in an interview.

At 28, Varane already has as many as 17 trophies on his cabinet, including four Champions League titles, two La Liga trophies and four FIFA Club World Cups.

Earlier, former City defender Danny Mills had said Varane could struggle at Old Trafford just like several stars including, Angel Di Maria and Radamel Falcao, who have failed to cope up with the robustness of the English top-flight league.

Manchester United kickstart their 2020-21 Premier League campaign with a home game against Leeds United on Saturday.

It was earlier reported that Manchester United star forward Marcus Rashford is set to be away for the first 12 weeks of the season. He underwent surgery for his long-running shoulder injury. Last season, the shoulder issue reoccurred on two different occasions. Soon after the 2020-21 campaign ended, it was decided after a consultation between the player, the manager, club medical staff and specialists that Rashford would undergo an imminent procedure.

Rashford, who is expected to return to training next month, could miss at least 10 matches of the 2021-22 season. He recently missed all of Manchester United's pre-season games. The Red Devils defeated Derby County 2-1 before losing to Championship club Queens Park Rangers (QPR) 4-2. The Red Devils played their final two pre-season matches at Old Trafford as they drew 2-2 against Brentford before thrashing Everton 4-0.