Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane has admitted he came close to joining Manchester United last year, but says he was convinced to stay in Spain by his current club's show of faith in him.
United manager Jose Mourinho brought Varane to the Santiago Bernabeu from Lens in August 2011 for an undisclosed fee, believed to be in the region of £9million.
The Portuguese was heavily linked with a move for the Frenchman during his first summer transfer window, but Varane has explained that Zinedine Zidane persuaded him to stay.
'I preferred to discuss with the leaders and the coach to know if they had confidence in me,' he told L'Equipe.