Sneaky! Ex-Man Utd and Real Madrid star Raphael Varane goes incognito to watch former club Lens in action against PSG

Varane left Manchester United in the summer following the end of his contract with the Red Devils and joined Cesc Fabregas' Como as the Serie A side look towards avoiding relegation in their first season in Italy's top division. However, the French World Cup winner picked up a knee injury on his debut with the side and subsequently decided to hang up his boots at the age of just 31.

As he continues to get used to his new role as a board member of Como FC, Varane revealed on Instagram that he made his way to his boyhood side RC Lens' Coupe de France clash against defending champions PSG at Stade Bollaert-Delelis. Goncalo Ramos opened the scoring for the French champions before Lens' M'Bala Nzola equalised late in the second half. However, Varane's boyhood side were trumped by Luis Enrique's men in the penalty shootout as Nzola missed the crucial fourth kick.

Varane went to the match undercover and covered his face with a Lens scarf to avoid gathering attention from fans, as he enjoyed the match from the stands alongside other supporters of the club. On Instagram, Varane posted his photo with the caption: "Back to basics… Don’t try to explain it to them, they can’t understand. Love football, the emotions. This is what it is all about!!"

Como are attempting to build a Serie A legacy for themselves and have been recruiting a number of big names similar to Varane. They will be hopeful that the Frenchman can bring his vast knowledge of the game to use in the boardroom as they continue their fight to stay in the Serie A.