Brazilian could become one of the best United right-backs ever

Manchester United full-back Patrice Evra has tipped Rafael da Silva to learn and improve from his disappointing sending off against Bayern Munich.

United were enjoying  a comfortable 3-1 lead over the Bavarians when the Brazilian defender committed his second bookable offense of the match and received his marching orders.

The majority of TV pundits and fans on the Internet agree that Bayern were not creating many chances and United probably would have gone on to score even more goals had it not been for da Silva’s sending off. A visibly shaken and dejected Rafael probably knew as much, as he hung his head while heading for Old Trafford’s hallowed players’ tunnel.

Reason to be optimistic

There is a “Silva” lining though and the player, as well as fans should not be too downbeat for too long, because Rafael performed admirably before being sent off. For 50 minutes, the right-back was absolutely brilliant against Franck Ribery – widely regarded as one of the world’s  best players. He performed his defensive duties, but also offered a genuine threat whenever he bombed forward, linking up well with Antonio Valencia.

That Ribery only started making his mark on proceeding after John O’Shea had come on as a sub, is a compliment and testament to Rafael’s superb handling of the French midfielder.

Potential to be great

Evra obviously appreciated Rafael’s performance and has backed his teammate:

“It is a good experience for Rafael and he will definitely be a better player because of what happened,” said Evra.

“When he gets some experience he will be different class. Rafa did something that maybe, with more experience, he would not do.

“I know Rafael’s mentality. I am sure about him. He has a lot of hunger. The point is, you need to make mistakes to become a big player.

“This was just part of the development process. He will go on to become one of the best right-backs Manchester United have ever had.”

Room for improvement

I agree with Pat that Rafael has the potential to be a great fullback, but there are some areas he needs to improve. Some more urgently than others, because Gary Neville is edging closer to retirement and truth be told, I’d prefer Rafael to start ahead of both Neville and Brown. To me, Rafael represents the future and could offer much more at right back than either Brown or O’Shea.

- Helicopter arms. I really cringe when i see defenders flail their arms around to stop opponents. Gabriel Heinze was probably the biggest perpetrator of this crime in an United shirt.

- Defending. Gary Neville gave a masterclass against Ronaldinho in the second leg of the Milan tie. I hope Rafa took notes and will improve various aspects of defending. To know how much space to give a player. When to stay back and when to attack. How to position yourself on the pitch. How to time tackles better and yes, even how to take the ball and the man.

- Don’t sweat the small stuff. Rafael’s first yellow card in the Bayern match came after he was fouled and the referee did not award the free-kick he felt he deserved. Lying on the floor, the Brazilian stupidly lashed out and kicked Holger Badstuber. Silly boy.

- Don’t give away cheap penalties. Self-explanatory, really, but he doesn’t seem to get it yet.

- Fitness. Rafa’s bulked up and kudos to Mike Clegg, but he also seems to have put on some unwanted pounds. He’s not as chubby as Liverpool defender Insua, but definitely needs to shed some pounds and hit the bicycle if he wants to last 90 minutes over the course of a 50 game season.

- Technique. Last, but not least, da Silva needs to improve his technique. We saw some good crosses from him last season, but they seem to have become wayward this term. His touch and passing also seem to have deteriorated and that’s not a good thing for a young player on the ascendancy.