Speaking in a press conference after Les Bleus players met up at Clairefontaine today, France manager Didier Deschamps expressed his disappointment about defender and vice-captain Raphaël Varane’s retirement from the national team but understands the decision from the Manchester United player. The following was transcribed by RMC Sport.
Deschamps started by saying that “no one is in his position. I try to put myself in his shoes. He’s thoughtful enough, he doesn’t make a decision like that overnight”. Despite this, Deschamps says that “It’s not something I’m happy about, but it’s everyone’s situation that you can make a decision like that. I respect it.”
The Frenchman then explained the factors behind a decision like Varane’s saying that “there are requirements at the highest level of football. It all depends on the age you start.” He then went into some other factors that could affect the decision, such as the “private situation” of the player. “These demands lead to fatigue, physical or psychological. Each player has a different path. Some continue until they are 40, for others, it can be more complicated,” finished Deschamps.
GFFN | George Boxall
