Raphael Varane hands France and Manchester United huge boost ahead of World Cup

is winning his race to be fit for France’s squad after resuming light training.

The defender was left in tears after being forced off in ’s 1-1 draw with last month.

Varane has been tormented with injuries since joining the club from Real Madrid and he immediately feared his World Cup dreams would be over.

However, scan results showed he would likely return to action during the group stages of the tournament, meaning he could be selected for the 26-man squad.

But reports in France say he is ahead of schedule in his recovery and has already started running outside after his ankle injury.

That’s a significant boost for both France and United, who have missed the defender in recent weeks.

Varane has formed a good partnership with Lisandro Martinez but the Argentine’s been paired with Harry Maguire or Victor Lindelof in his absence.

United conceded three in a defeat to Aston Villa on Sunday, which was their first defeat since a 6-3 humbling against Manchester City at the start of the month.

Despite resuming light training, it’s severely unlikely that Varane will feature for his club before he joins up with France’s World Cup squad.

United take on Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup on Thursday before travelling to Fulham on Sunday.

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