Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has defended Raphael Varane after his debut season at the club.

The World Cup winner joined from Real Madrid last summer, but injuries and poor form disrupted his debut campaign at Old Trafford.

Speaking on his Vibe with Five YouTube channel, Ferdinand said Varane had suffered from joining a club in crisis.

He said: "He went from one team - the honours there tell you it was a functioning team at the top level, all players playing to their maximum consistently - and went into an absolute reverse situation where the team has zero functionality, no confidence, no guidance and no structure of where they're going.

"He went into an alien scenario where he's going "I have not seen this since youth team football". To go from that world-class operating and culture and standard on a daily basis to what is at Manchester United is a huge, huge shift.

"He's probably sitting there like a rabbit in the headlights thinking "wow, what is this?" He hasn't been the player we expected... he would tell you that, he couldn't tell you anything else. He'll be saying "I've got to up the levels next year. I need help."