I really thought he would have a future here, shameRafael | Lyon Player
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I really thought he would have a future here, shameThey bought Cedric Soares from Sporting who's a right back.
3 red cards in 7 years (169 games) playing for us.
I like him, but it wasn't going to work out for him at United so what can you do.
Probably twice as many as the 19 Sergio Ramos racked up so far.
Couldn't be something average like 3, or something......
I don't care what anybody says, i love the bastard.....always played with heart and desire and passion, he loved the club and it showed.
I don't think he is anymore a liability than any of of our present defenders and he's certainly equally if not more talented
I don't think he is anymore a liability than any of of our present defenders and he's certainly equally if not more talented
Utterly disappointing. Even more disappointing than Valencia being our back-up right back.
fair enough... probably Fenerbache then
Rafael and Nani vs Young and Valencia. The former were dropped after a sneeze in the wrong direction, the latter could have 2 years of poor run and would still play.
Shame about Rafael i really like him.
Shame about Rafael i really like him.
A time had to come when we said "enough is enough" in regards to his persistent injuries to be honest. It's not a question of talent, he was the best RB in the league in 10/11 in my opinion and could have gone on to an even higher level.
Can't have 3 right-backs in the squad. Unfortunately, the lad can't stay fit.
Be careful, I wouldn't be surpised is Darmian was benched and Mr. Shin-hitter plays week in week out.
Hardly a surprise.
Given our luck, it will be a month long shin injury to Darmian that opens the door.
He just cant play by LvG`s rules/demands/laws call it what you will.Its not an issue with his footballing skills,nor i think things would be much different if we ignore injuries. In LvG world a right winger (Valencia) ticks more boxes then him as actually right full back and thats how it is.
One of my favorite players here, his attitude was always spot on and he always gave his all while playing. You could tell he truly enjoyed playing for us. It's a shame to see him leave but we've known this was coming for a while now.
He was fit for months last season and never got a look in.
Wish him all the best, he'd be one of the best right backs in the world if he'd have stayed fit since 12/13. Hopefully he gets some consistent fitness and goes on to somewhat fulfill his potential, even if it's elsewhere.
He was our second best player after Van Persie the year we won title number 20. I'll remember him fondly for that alone.
He was our second best player after Van Persie the year we won title number 20. I'll remember him fondly for that alone.
It's really disappointing that he hasn't fulfilled expectations with Utd. Obviously LVG made this decision last season. Good luck to him!
For the record, I think we're making a mistake. We could instead sell Valencia, who will never really have value again.
Rafael obviously wants to be here, he could backup Darmian (who is durable) and potentially even beat him out if he recovers and if he's hurt then Young (who looked fine at wingback, no worse than Valencia did early as a fullback), Shaw (Blind or Rojo at LB) Jones or a youth player can cover 5-10 games at RB depending on opponent without hurting us.
Unless the medical people think he'll never be healthy again, I wouldn't sell this talented a 25 year old who wants to be here when we now have a durable player in his position to mitigate the risk.
Rafael obviously wants to be here, he could backup Darmian (who is durable) and potentially even beat him out if he recovers and if he's hurt then Young (who looked fine at wingback, no worse than Valencia did early as a fullback), Shaw (Blind or Rojo at LB) Jones or a youth player can cover 5-10 games at RB depending on opponent without hurting us.
Unless the medical people think he'll never be healthy again, I wouldn't sell this talented a 25 year old who wants to be here when we now have a durable player in his position to mitigate the risk.
Good attitude and at times a very good performer. Injuries are his major issue but indiscipline is an issue and that's unlikely to endear him to Van Gaal either.
Good luck to him wherever he ends up.
The end of another era. It was coming though. As soon as he didn't make the tour squad the writing was on the wall.
Good luck with where ever you go.
. It was coming though. As soon as he didn't make the tour squad the writing was on the wall.Good luck with where ever you go.
We knew it was coming so it's not a surprise but I will remain a fan, he's an exciting and talented player who was always 100% committed to the club and gave his all. The persistent injuries were his biggest downfall and in the end this is the result. I hope he gets the Benfica move, that seems like a good fit for him IMO.
FFS
Why are people saying they would have kept him? Performance wise Valencia was better than Rafael according to Van Gaal. Now Darmian has come, why keep a injury prone player as third choice back up? Makes no sense.
People saying oh he's only on 40k a week. That 40k will be freed up to use on another player that we might sign.
People saying oh he's only on 40k a week. That 40k will be freed up to use on another player that we might sign.
This is about more than just injury problems. He's always been a little bit ropey on the defensive side of things. Rash, impulsive and liable to get dribbled. Had a good season in 2012/13 (I think?) but has put in some really dodgy defensive displays more recently, going back to before Van Gaal got the job. Those will have sealed his fate as much as his injury record.
It's a shame, though. He looked like blossoming into a terrific player at one point. Thinking about it, the career of him and Nani followed a similar trajectory. From potential world beaters to weak links, before they even got into their prime. Strange.
It's a shame, though. He looked like blossoming into a terrific player at one point. Thinking about it, the career of him and Nani followed a similar trajectory. From potential world beaters to weak links, before they even got into their prime. Strange.
Lovable player, but Van Gaal doesn't rate him clearly so it's for the best. Hopefully he gets a half decent move.
Not surprised but gutted all the same. At one point I was hoping we would have a better version of the Neville brothers with him & Fabio. They both had a huge amount of potential. I think Rafa has had some good years here though hopefully he can play at a high level elsewhere.
I still think he's a better player than Valencia but injuries have plagued his career.
I still think he's a better player than Valencia but injuries have plagued his career.
Not a surprise at all but I'm really sad to see him go. One of my favourite players in recent times - absolutely loved his passion and determination.
I've said it plenty of times before but I think he'll go on and have a great career. I get that he's had an injury run and that he can be wreckless, but he's also been superb for us at times. Huge talent and a player I always enjoyed watching. I'll miss him and always believe he could have stayed and had a big future at United.
Yet another of Fergie's player being shown the door.
As a full back when fit, not many people would choose Valencia over Rafael. Defensively, Rafael rarely needed games to get back into the swing of things. He was a good defender that offensively, is better then Valencia. All Valencia has over Rafael, is that he's always fit but Rafa is 25. Has plenty of football left in him.
This isn't surprising, but that doesn't mean that it isn't sad news.
A shame the way this worked out. Loved the little guy but he had some serious flaws that he didn't improve on enough in what was a lengthy enough time here to do so. Couldn't be relied on to keep his discipline or a steady head particularly in big pressure games. Prone to going to ground early and lunging in to tackles making forwards mind up for them. So often walked the discipline tightrope picking up early bookings and getting many last warnings. Also constantly berating officials when penalised when his own error was obvious. Was never going to be suited to Van Gaal who's teams are all about following orders. Too headstrong and petulant for that to work. Of course not helped by injuries either making it impossible to plan for a settled team with him a part of.
Both Anderson and Rafael gone, two of my absolute favorites..Once every 57 appearances according to this - www.mufcinfo.com/manupag/red_cards/red_cards_grouped.html
Less frequently than other liabilities we did well to get rid of such as Roy Keane, Eric Cantona, Nemanja Vidic and Marouane Fellaini, as well as obvious psychos such as Angel Di Maria, Luke Chadwick and Luke Shaw.
A shame. I thought he was really starting to come into his own a couple of years ago, but injuries have really held him back. Showed glimpses that he could be an important player last season, but was never really able to sustain a run of form. Suppose his departure was going to be inevitable after we went out and strengthened in the right-back area.
Some people on the Caf love saying this as much as LvG loves saying "philosophy". Blackett's managed to rack up a bigger catalogue of costly errors in this season alone than Rafael has done in his United career.
If there's at least one good thing to come out of this, I hope it is that I don't have to see this ridiculous statement bandied about anymore.
This. I wonder if we'll ever have an explanation for any of this...
Only Rooney, Valencia, Smalling, Jones, Evans, Lindegaard, De Gea, Carrick, Young and Hernandez remain. Three of those 10 players will probably be leaving too.
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