Raphael Varane's impact on Manchester United since signing this summer is already clear to see, and the team's form without him this season does not bode well for Saturday's Manchester derby.
United will welcome neighbours Manchester City to Old Trafford in a huge derby that could have big ramifications in the Premier League title race.
Despite the turmoil of the last two weeks, in which Ole Gunnar Solskjaer nearly lost his job in the aftermath of the 5-0 defeat to Liverpool, United could actually draw level on points with the Blues should they win the match.
However, it will be a tough challenge made even tougher by the club's injury troubles at centre-back right now.
Varane will definitely miss the game after he picked up a hamstring injury just 38 minutes into Tuesday's draw with Atalanta that will see him miss at least a month of action.
Victor Lindelof is also a doubt after he missed the trip to Bergamo with a knock, meaning Solskjaer may only have two fit natural centre-backs at his disposal — which may make using the back three formation challenging.
Things haven't been helped by the continued poor form of Harry Maguire, either, with the captain still struggling after returning from injury.
The loss of Varane is particularly concerning, as the difference between United's results with him in the side compared to when he isn't on the pitch is startling.
Out of the Frenchman's eight appearances for the club so far this season, United have won five games and lost just once.
However, without him, they have lost four of five matches, winning only a single time, since he made his debut. That's a decrease in win percentage to 20 per cent from 67.5 per cent with him in the side.
Though the international break means Varane won't miss as many games as he could have done, it's likely he will still be unavailable for matches against Watford, Villarreal, Chelsea and Arsenal, which certainly isn't ideal for United.
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