Now he's explained that the elegant central defender is simply made for the competition, one he won four times during his stay at Real Madrid.
With United about to discover this year's group-stage opponents, there is a real focus on competing with Europe's elite again and Varane's experience, quality and composure should come in very useful when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men go into battle on the continent.
So what about the 'Champions League Varane' chant, which came as Paul paid tribute to his international colleagues with a song, also including 'captain' Hugo Lloris and 'half-volley' Benjamin Pavard, in a raucous post-match dressing room, following the final win over Croatia in 2018?