• Premier League

Mourinho sings Varane's praises

ESPN staff
March 6, 2014
Raphael Varane joined Real Madrid in 2011 © Getty Images
Enlarge

Jose Mourinho may be on the hunt for new defenders this summer and the Chelsea manager has made no secret of his admiration for Real Madrid's Raphael Varane, describing him as the "best in the world".

The Portuguese took Varane to Spain in 2011 in an £8 million, six-year deal when he was in charge at the Bernabeu and has tipped the Frenchman to become one of the stars at the World Cup.

"I think he is the best young central defender in the world. Already I think he's the best," Mourinho told Yahoo. "A young player must be somebody who plays in the World Cup for the first time."

Mourinho could be looking for a centre-back in the summer with the contract of John Terry, the Chelsea captain, set to expire and David Luiz being linked with a move to Barcelona once again.

Chelsea also signed promising defender Kurt Zouma from Saint-Etienne for £12m in January, loaning the 19-year-old back to the Ligue 1 side until the end of the season.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd
ESPN staff Close

ABOUT COOKIES

To help make this website better, to improve and personalize your experience and for advertising purposes, are you happy to accept cookies and other technologies.

More Info Here Cookie Choices