Manchester United should not be surprised by Raphael Varane's "drop-off", according to journalist Dean Jones.

The central defender has had some struggles since arriving at the club last year, and Jones feels he is on the decline after playing so much elite football from such a young age.

GiveMeSport The Verdict

How has Varane performed at United?

Understandably, there were high expectations when United signed Varane from Real Madrid in a deal worth around £42m in total (via BBC Sport).

Described as a "world-class defender" by Manchester Evening News' Samuel Luckhurst ahead of his move, Varane helped his former side win an incredible four Champions League trophies.

United supporters, however, have not seen the best of the 29-year-old at Old Trafford. Since joining their club, Varane has had quite a few injuries, while his form has also been criticised.

"If we talk about Raphael Varane, he’s got off the hook because he’s been terrible. He’s been terrible since coming to the club," former Tottenham manager Tim Sherwood said on Sky Sports last season.

What has Jones said about Varane and Man Utd?

Jones thinks Real Madrid saw Varane's drop-off coming and that is why they were willing to sell him to United.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the transfer insider said: "With Varane, there's obviously a problem there and he's not at the level you would expect, but he's been playing at the top level for such a long time that it makes sense that his drop-off is going to be at a younger age than most players of his level.

"He made his Real Madrid debut at 18 and then he's played at that high intense level pretty much ever since, so his drop-off at the age of 29 shouldn't be that much of a surprise given the number of games and the level of games he's had to play ever since making his Madrid debut.

"Let's face it, Real Madrid obviously saw this coming, too, because they wouldn't have let him leave the club if he was at the same level that he once was."

Can Varane turn things around at United?

It is clear to see that Varane is not at his best at this moment in time and, given that he has been playing football at a high level for such a long time, perhaps there is a bit of regression now.

With his experience and height, though, the France international can still offer something to Erik ten Hag's side at the back, so it certainly is not impossible for him to turn things around and become a key member of the team, even if he is not able to perfectly replicate the form that he showed in Spain.