All the latest news, views and transfer rumours from Old Trafford…
Rafael was one of the players who Louis van Gaal said could leave Manchester United this summer according to a report.
ESPN claims the Brazilian right-back was told he would get little game-time at Old Trafford this season and that his talent was such that he deserved to play more regularly elsewhere.
The claim is somewhat surprising given that United do not have any other senior right-backs in their squad, but it was suggested that Rafael – who some United fans adore and others feel remains too erratic – was not in the new boss’s plans.
Despite those claims, Rafael remains at the club and put his woes against Leicester City behind him to star in the club’s 2-1 win over West Ham United on Saturday.
Whether the young full-back can ensure he remains at the club for the long haul remains to be seen, but his passion and refusal to give in should be commended.
In other news, former player Alan Shearer claims Wayne Rooney was sent off against West Ham because he does not trust his defenders.
Expressing his thoughts in the Sun that were later published by the Mirror, Shearer said, “It was not as if (Stewart) Downing was clear through on goal. There were plenty of defenders for him to get past from inside his own half.
“Yet it was probably down to a lack of trust in them on Rooney’s part that he made the challenge.”
It remains to be seen if that is indeed the case, but United’s back-line was unfamiliar with Paddy McNair and Luke Shaw making their debuts and Marcos Rojo only recently arrived from Sporting Lisbon.
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