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'Fear?' Raphael Varane repeats the word quizzically like it's one he's still getting to grips with after nearly two years in England.
But Varane understands the meaning perfectly. Just not the suggestion that he should be at all fearful of Manchester City or their prolific striker Erling Haaland in Saturday's FA Cup final at Wembley.
'Why?' askes the Frenchman, once again answering the question with a question. 'Every game is a challenge and I like to challenge myself, to challenge other teams as a group too.
'The most important thing is to believe. It doesn't matter if it is a team in good or bad form; the challenge is in front of us and we have to accept it and find a way to win. I think we know we are able to beat any team.'
What about Haaland then? The Norwegian scored three of his 52 goals so far this season when Manchester United were hammered 6-3 at the Etihad in October. Varane went off injured shortly after Haaland netted his second.
Raphael Varane will come toe-to-toe with Erling Haaland (left) during Saturday's FA Cup final
The Frenchman is a composed and confident presence in manager Erik ten Hag's backline
In the Old Trafford derby three months later, United and Varane did a much better job of keeping Haaland quiet as they staged a late comeback to win 2-1 with back-to-back goals from Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford.
'Yes, he's a very good player,' says Varane. 'We all know that, but the danger from City is everywhere.
'They are very complete. They can score from set-plays, from a possession game and from a transition game. Obviously he is one of the very good players they have, but we have to respond not to the individual and more to the collective.
'We have to be consistent for 90 minutes because we know that everything can change in a few seconds.
'In that game, the first half was very good so we have to do this performance to win the cup. If we have one chance, we have to score.'
Erik ten Hag learned a lot between those two games. At Old Trafford, he played Luke Shaw alongside Varane in central defence with Aaron Wan-Bissaka at right back, and brought Fred into midfield alongside Casemiro, pushing Christian Eriksen further forward into the No 10 role and Bruno Fernandes onto the right flank.
One of the aims was to disrupt the supply of ammunition from Kevin De Bruyne to Haaland. It worked.
'They have a connection,' says Varane. 'That kind of pass is complicated to defend, so we try to cut that connection especially with De Bruyne. We try to stop them earlier and not at the end because sometimes it's too late.'
Varane exudes calm and confidence throughout our conversation at United's Carrington training complex. The same assurance he brings to United's defence. And why not?
This, after all, is a man who won 18 trophies at Real Madrid – including four Champions Leagues – to end Barcelona's dominance
