At the time, Ten Hag insisted he had no problem with the World Cup winner and said his absence was down to "tactical reasons" but now, in a fascinating interview with The Athletic, the defender has given his take on being dropped. "We had a robust discussion. We told each other some truths, but then I didn’t play for almost two months," he said.

Raphaël Varane has said he was "surprised" by the Manchester United's hierachy's decision to offer Erik ten Hag a new contract last summer as his bond with the squad was deeply fractured by that point.

The build-up to United’s 2-1 FA Cup victory over Manchester City in May was dominated by uncertainty over Ten Hag’s future.