Raphael Varane Injury: Updates on Real Madrid Star's Thigh and Return

Real Madrid centre-back Raphael Varane has a "Grade 2 injury in the left thigh muscle," according to Alex Bywater of MailOnline. It is unclear when he will return.

Continue for updates.

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Varane Out of Euro 2016

Tuesday, May 24

The French national team (h/t Jonathan Johnson of Bleacher Report) announced that Varane will not play in Euro 2016.

Bywater reported that Varane will miss the UEFA Champions League Final against Atletico Madrid on May 28.

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Varane's Injury Comes at Inopportune Time

While Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane settled on the centre-back pairing of Sergio Ramos and Pepe as his preferred duo in the Champions League, Varane's injury robbed the team of vital depth and a pacier option in defence.

Varane, 23, has appeared in 25 La Liga fixtures for Real Madrid this season, earning a 6.90 average match rating from WhoScored.com. Pepe (7.27) and Ramos (7.15) each graded out higher in that competition. 

Varane also appeared in seven Champions League matches, earning a 6.94 average rating from WhoScored.com.

The injury is an even bigger concern to France ahead of the upcoming Euros. Mamadou Sakho has already been ruled out through suspension, per Tom Webber of Goal, leaving manager Didier Deschamps with just Eliaquim Mangala, Jeremy Mathieu and Laurent Koscielny as his options at centre-back.

While that certainly isn't a weak group of options, losing Varane will weaken France's defence and leave them—like Real Madrid—extremely short at the position. 

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