Brazilian full-back Rafael Da Silva got his first taste of European football straightaway with a club like Manchester United.
After moving to the European giants as a teenager, Rafael was expected to follow in the footsteps of club legend Gary Neville. Things, however, have not progressed in an ideal sense after the Brazilian has not been a first choice regular in the last couple of years. Even though his presence in the team has led to an overall improvement in terms of attacking football, manager Louis Van Gaal is thought to prefer defensive solidarity. This has been winger Antonio Valencia preferred in this position more often than not.
Furthermore, Rafael has been hit by a bout of injury problems in the last two years. They seem to have contributed to his decline at Old Trafford. He twin brother, Fabio Da Silva, has already left the club for Cardiff City. Even though this may mean that he will play in the Championship, he has been getting much more first-team opportunities than his brother. Recent reports suggest that Turkish outfit Galatasaray may be interested in signing the 24-year-old. After having reclaimed the Turkish league title, Galatasaray are in no mood to relax. The Brazilian made only 10 appearances in all competitions last season.
This amounted to less than 600 minutes of action on the pitch.”I just want to be involved now. Of course, it was good to play. Training has been fantastic as well.Now I just want to be involved with the team and if I get a chance, then I want to play well,” said the defender about his future at the club. Rafael will be aware that United will be making more signings in a desperate bid to reclaim the Premier League title, which they have not won in the last two seasons.