Raphael Varane is one of the most decorated defenders that football has ever seen. He won a remarkable 18 trophies during his time with Real Madrid, which included four Champions League triumphs, and became a World Cup winner with France, so he is certainly worth listening to.

This week, Varane has spoken about his time at Manchester United, providing insight into his "complicated" relationship with Erik ten Hag and what went wrong for the Dutchman.

Varane left United upon the expiry of his contract at the end of last season and he doesn't have an axe to grind, which means his candid interview with The Athletic is fascinating reading.

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“He wanted to gain respect through fear, perhaps," said Varane about Ten Hag. "He always needed an example of a player who was alone the entire time he was at Manchester. He did that with at least one important player on the team. He was always in conflict with certain leaders of the group. That is his way of managing. I also have to recognise what was good [about Ten Hag].

"He gave me the peace of mind to come back from my injury to play in the FA Cup final. He was counting on me. That was very positive, because it allowed me to play my role in the team. We had ups and downs. I can’t say everything was bad. There were complicated moments.”

Varane was asked about the FA Cup final and added: “The players really came together for the same goal with a clear idea of how to play. It is not only an individual achievement but a collective one, to make the players believe that it was possible. The players accepted the challenge and managed to forget everything negative that had happened to really be 100 per cent in this match.

“I wanted the best for the team. Sometimes I said things to the coach, not for me, but for the team, or because players felt things. The FA Cup [final] was not about proving something to him at all.

"My motivation was to achieve with the team, to make the fans happy and above all to experience this feeling of entering the pitch as a gladiator who returns victorious. It’s the best feeling.”

Varane also said he was "surprised" that Ten Hag stayed because "the connection with the group no longer existed.”

Varane provided well-balanced thoughts on Ten Hag's two-and-a-half-year tenure, and it was refreshing to hear a former United player speak openly about last season's situation.

Some of his quotes were damning, though. There was compelling evidence to sack Ten Hag after the FA Cup final, but Ineos' decision-makers extended his contract, signed players for the 55-year-old in the summer and then quickly had egg on their face when they sacked him in October.

Nobody wants to keep harping back to Ten Hag's reign, but Varane's interview is a timely reminder that United are currently enduring their worst ever season due to the decision to back him.

Varane was a respected senior player and concluded Ten Hag no longer had a "connection" in the dressing room, which had been pretty obvious in the build-up to last season's FA Cup final.

Everybody could see that Ten Hag should have been sacked, except those who are paid handsomely to sit in the Old Trafford board room and make the final call on such decisions.

Ruben Amorim was dealt an impossible task when succeeding Ten Hag and is beginning to face scrutiny because United have not improved since his appointment, but the analysis of this season must start with the days after the FA Cup final when Sir Jim Ratcliffe's team dithered on Ten Hag.

The decision on Ten Hag was eventually communicated 17 days after that day at Wembley and the handling of it was botched. Keeping Ten Hag might have set United back for another three years and that must be remembered when the obituary for this nightmare campaign is written.

The column in favour of keeping Ten Hag read "has won two trophies and has shown faith in youngsters," while the column that said that he should be sacked read "everything else."

After taking control of football operations, Ineos bottled their most important decision and are reaping what they sowed. Varane's comments re-emphasise what an awful decision it was.