About this episode
On this episode of the Real Deal, we bring on Manchester United analyst The Devil’s DNA and review how former Blancos stars Raphael Varane and Casemiro have performed since transferring to Manchester United. We analyze the reasons why the former European champions have struggled to find their top form in the Premier League, look back at their time in Madrid, reminisce about Casemiro and Varane’s roles in Real Madrid’s Champions League three-peat, and examine how age, injuries and fitness have affected both players at United. Zooming in on each player, we evaluate Varane’s performances as United’s standout defender and discuss his recent benching, and also discuss how Casemiro has fit into and shaped manager Erik ten Hag’s tactics and system. To close, we gaze into the future and consider what may be next for Ten Hag, Casemiro and Varane, and question whether they will get the chance to return United to their glory days. TIMESTAMPS: 5:52 - Why the Real Madrid duo have struggled at Manchester United 9:58 - Casemiro & Varane’s Madrid glory days 13:30 - Age, injuries and fitness factors 20:16 - Assessing Varane, United’s best box defender 32:07 - Zooming in on Casemiro & his role in Ten Hag’s tactics 45:00 - Real Madrid’s approach to keeping older players 52:18 - What the future holds for Ten Hag, Varane, Casemiro and Manchester United Find us on X , Instagram , YouTube and TikTok at @realdealpods for more takes and banter between episodes on our Managing Madrid Spotify feed! Did you enjoy this podcast? Get a ton of bonus content exclusively on Patreon.com/ManagingMadrid . Join our Real Madrid Discord Channel: https://discord.gg/rTD2PmE26f Managing Madrid is a hub for all Madridistas with updated news, op-eds, tactical analyses, artwork, and of course, podcasts. It also serves as a means for Real Madrid fans to connect and discuss the team. We would like your support so that we can continue to produce podcasts for you. The site is run by a small team that works tirelessly around the clock to make it into what it is today. Your contributions will allow us to continue to have a real and full-time presence in keeping this website, and it’s podcasts, going. Hosts this week: Mehedi Hassan ( @MHassanFootball ) Siddharth Ramsundar ( @TacticalFouling ) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices