Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards believes Raphael Varane would not have made the move to Manchester United without first speaking to fellow countryman Paul Pogba.
More than two weeks after confirming that they had reached an agreement with Real Madrid to sign the central-defender, United officially confirmed the signing of Varane ahead of last Saturday's 5-1 win over Leeds United at Old Trafford.
Varane became the club's second statement signing of the summer following on from the arrival of Jadon Sancho from German giants Borussia Dortmund in July.
The France international's switch to Old Trafford has significantly bolstered the club's central-defensive options, with United having been desperate to add a top-level centre-back to the squad for a lengthy period of time.
However, former City and England ace Richards is not convinced that the Frenchman would have opted to join United without holding discussions with Pogba first, insisting that if the latter had highlighted any concerns about the club then he would not have made the move.
Richards, penning his column for the Daily Mail, said: "Ask yourself this: would Raphael Varane have come to Manchester without speaking to Pogba?
"That would have been the first call Varane made when he was leaving Real Madrid - if Pogba had expressed any misgivings, you can imagine his compatriot would most likely have waited for Paris Saint-Germain."
As well as addressing the role Pogba may have played in helping United secure Varane's services, Richards also discussed Pogba's own future at United, insisting that his performance against Leeds did not show any signs of a player not being committed to the club.
"Yes, there are questions about Pogba’s long-term future but has he done anything wrong? I’d argue not," Richards added. "He’s not personally spoken out against United, he’s not agitating.
"His display against Leeds never gave you a moment’s worry about him being committed to the team."
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