Erik ten Hag has used four different players at center-back in the eight games since Raphael Varane last started for Manchester United, excluding injured first-choice Lisandro Martinez.

Despite Ten Hag’s claims that Varane’s absence is for tactical reasons, the 30-year-old is skeptical after seeing Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof, Jonny Evans, and Luke Shaw play ahead of him.

That means a £42 million signing, who has won the Champions League four times and the World Cup once, is now the club’s fifth-choice center-back for a club in such dire straits as United. It’s clear he has no future under Ten Hag.

To be fair to United’s boss, the centre-backs have been excellent recently. Maguire is having a terrific season, Lindelof has been reliable, and Shaw performed admirably in his return to the left-sided central role against Newcastle on Saturday.

But that doesn’t change the fact that this team has turned into a soft touch. They are entertaining to play against, easy to outmaneuver and outrun, and will give you opportunities. There are numerous opportunities.

United has conceded 82 shots on goal in five Champions League games. Only Sheffield United (266) and Luton Town (241) have faced more shots in the Premier League than United’s 214. That puts the Reds alongside two of the worst-equipped sides to be promoted to the Premier League in recent memory.

While United has conceded 14 goals in five Champions League games, they have only conceded 17 in 14 Premier League games, which appears to be a product of luck more than judgement. That figure should be 25 based on expected goals (xG) statistics.

It’s self-evident that if United wants to grow under Ten Hag and win a positive result against a good team this season, they must tighten up. The opponent has had at least 17 shots against United in seven of those 14 games. Wolves had 23, Manchester City had 20, Everton had 24, and Newcastle United had 22.

This is not entirely the fault of the defense. Ten Hag has tried nine different players in midfield this season without ever finding a recipe to slow the tide towards the United goal.

However, something has to give. Varane hasn’t been flawless this season, and he struggled in his most recent start (a 4-3 loss to FC Copenhagen), but he can provide more leadership and organization. With 93 caps for France and 360 games for Real Madrid under his belt, he has the experience to try to shore up a weak backline, even if that means giving midfielders orders to keep their positions.

Ten Hag insists he hasn’t had a falling out with Varane, but his hesitation to select him at a moment when the club most needs his expertise and organizational skills is clear. It’s worth going back to the early days of Ten Hag’s reign and remembering what he said about Varane back then.

“The reason (for another clean sheet) is we were good in possession and we defended very well,” Ten Hag remarked after a Europa League win against Sheriff Tiraspol. With Rapha Varane as the leader, he puts everyone in the appropriate position, he works well with Licha Martinez, and the two full-backs did an excellent job.”

United definitely miss Martinez, both defensively and offensively, but how they may benefit from another defender in the side to lead and ‘put everyone in the right position’. Ten Hag commended Varane’s “great personality” and the standards and responsibility he demonstrated in stepping in and playing while Lindelof and Martinez were away when he returned to professional football just nine days after the World Cup final last December.

However, after a year, Varane has fallen completely out of favor. United require the qualities in his game that Ten Hag recognized last season, but don’t expect him to return anytime soon.