The victory that Erik ten Hag led Manchester United to over Liverpool at Old Trafford by a score of 2-1 will be regarded as the defining moment of his time in charge of the club.

After seeing his team drop their first two Premier League matches, during which they gave up a total of six goals, the United manager made the bold decision to switch things up for his team's match against their most bitter rivals. In order to avoid a repeat of the embarrassing 4-0 loss they had suffered nine days earlier at Brentford, the manager elected to make four substitutions to the starting lineup. Luke Shaw and Cristiano Ronaldo were among the players benched.

Even though neither player was successful in pulling up any trees against Brentford, the calls were courageous nonetheless. Shaw was taken off the field and replaced by the unproven Tyrell Malacia at left back, and fellow youngster Anthony Elanga came in to replace Ronaldo. This resulted in a slight adjustment being made to the offensive formation up front.

In addition to these two players, the team's captain, Harry Maguire, was substituted out as well. However, this came at the expense of the experienced Raphael Varane, who had come off the bench at Brentford at half-time with the team already trailing by a significant margin. Varane joined newly acquired player Lisandro Martinez in the middle of the defense over the summer, and ever since then, the two have formed a partnership that is both reliable and exciting.

United have now won all five matches that Varane has started for them this season, including their 2-0 victory over Sheriff Tiraspol in the Europa League on Thursday night. This is in contrast to the three losses that they have incurred in the three games that he has not started for them this season. His significance is evident, and fans of Manchester United are finally beginning to understand why the club's previous manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, was so adamant about incorporating him into the team a little over a year ago.

Raphael Varane - Premier League vs La Liga

In this video, Raphael Varane discusses whether the Premier League or La Liga is more competitive.

United was desperate to bolster their center-back corps with a player of world-class caliber and locate a suitable teammate for Harry Maguire. Due in large part to the fact that Varane was constantly in and out of the team because of injury woes, they were unable to form the bond that had been hoped for during the previous season.

However, he is currently demonstrating that he is in good physical shape for this season, as evidenced by the fact that he has started five of United's most recent six matches across all competitions. He has established himself as a reliable member of Ten Hag's squad, and he is providing the Reds with the leadership that they so desperately lacked during the previous campaign; this is something that Solskjaer anticipated the Frenchman would provide during the previous campaign.

When asked about the acquisition of Varane in August of the previous year, Solskjaer stated: "I am beyond ecstatic that we were successful in our pursuit to acquire one of the very best defenders in the entire world over the course of the past ten years. Raphael is a successful competitor who we have followed for a significant amount of time, and we are aware of the level of commitment and professionalism that he possesses.

"We have a strong bench of international defenders, and he will bolster that group with his extensive skill set as well as his authoritative presence. I have no doubt that our younger players will benefit from his exceptional combination of top-tier characteristics because he is a one-of-a-kind defender with those characteristics.

"He has won everything there is to win, but I know that he is still determined to succeed, and I can't wait to welcome him into the squad." "He has won everything there is to win, but I know that he is still determined to succeed."

It's possible that Varane would have been able to exhibit the leadership qualities he's shown off so far this season with a bit more frequency during the previous season if he hadn't had such bad luck with injuries. When Varane was playing for United during the 2016–17 campaign, United's defense was noticeably stronger, and that trend has continued into the 2017–18 campaign.