John Terry does not believe Raphael Varane will need time to adapt to the Premier League and has likened him to his old Chelsea defensive partner Ricardo Carvalho.
The Frenchman has agreed a £40m move to Old Trafford from Real Madrid and an official announcement is expected as soon as possible, with the player having been required to isolate for five days after arriving at the club.
Despite winning the UEFA Champions League four times – as well as the World Cup – some pundits have questioned how he will acclimatise to the physicality of football in England.
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But Terry believes United have signed the ideal partner for Harry Maguire. He told Astro SuperSport: ‘I think it’s a natural one for people to say that it will take time for players to adapt.
‘But when you’ve played at the level and kind of competition that he’s played at – winning the World Cup, Champions Leagues – he’ll hit the ground running I’m sure of that.
‘I think from the outside watching Man United from afar, that’s been the key area I think they’ve been missing over the last few years so it’s good to see them dip into the market and get such a top player.
‘I think him and Harry will have a great relationship together. It kind of reminds me of myself and Carvalho, if I’m honest.
‘The kind of Rolls-Royce that Varane is and how good Harry is on the ball and aggressive as well. So I think they’ll be a great combination together and, like I say, it will definitely strengthen them moving forward.
‘But Varane is a top, top player and I’m looking forward to seeing how he does in the league this year.’
On his relationship with Carvalho, Terry continued: ‘Ricky kind of hit the ground running. I think the Portuguese league at the time was very physical and very demanding as well. So when he came in his personality was incredible.
‘The only thing I had to do as a player was to kind of pull him back, he used to always go on these mazy runs up the pitch and leave me isolated at the back so I used to have to scream at him to get back. But again he was one of my favourite partnerships as a defender at Chelsea and I absolutely love him.’
