Fergie describes Rafael Da Silva's performance last night as "a sensation".

Originally Posted by antonin jablonsky

Sorry if it's ben posted before, can't see it anywhere.

http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pa...newsid=6615370

Sir Alex Ferguson could barely contain his excitement on Monday night after witnessing a debut to remember by Brazilian defender Rafael Da Silva.

The young right-back played the full 90 minutes of United's friendly win at Peterborough and did enough to suggest a competitive debut may not be too far away. His brother Fabio also impressed, at left-back, after coming on for Patrice Evra at half-time.

Sir Alex told MUTV's Stewart Gardner, "The young players were fantastic and young Rafael the right-back was a sensation for me.

"I thought it was a real eye opener for us. He hadn't played for a year but he's played a full 90 minutes today. His brother Fabio has played 45 minutes and he's also done well so we're really pleased by their contribution."

When asked if the Da Silva twins' integration will be gradual, Sir Alex responded intriguingly:

"You know what football's like. Sometimes it turns up some star, some little nugget maybe. On the evidence of tonight I think we have got a good player here."

The Da Silvas look set for an Old Trafford debut as early as this Wednesday, when Juventus provide the opposition for United's final pre season friendly.

"The squad we've got here tonight (at Peterborough) will play on Wednesday," confirmed Sir Alex, while "Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville will also be involved."

With midfielders Anderson, Michael Carrick and Owen Hargreaves plus striker Wayne Rooney still unavailable, Wednesday could see Darron Gibson make yet another

Any bets on Scholes being sent off this time?

Originally Posted by Gog Coch

Any bets on Scholes being sent off this time?

Tried his hardest against Espanyol didnt he?

No idea what goes through his head at times

Originally Posted by Gog Coch

Any bets on Scholes being sent off this time?

Oh for £#%&!s sake, what has that got to do with anything. You are obsessed.

Originally Posted by Terry Silver

A right footed left-back?! Don't be silly. It'll never work.


Although Denis Irwin was alright I suppose

And O'Shea

And doesn't Rooney have a brother playing somewhere?

Originally Posted by Bral

And doesn't Rooney have a brother playing somewhere?

Macc Town innit?

Originally Posted by dunk

And Fabio is the one that is supposed to be the star.

Rafael was superb, if Fabio is better than him then £#%&! me, 3 Evra's.

I've seen a fair bit of them for the Brazilian U-17s and Fabio was definitely the more impressive of the two. Rafael looked good, but more of a standard two-way fullback than Fabio, who was really bossing the team and dictating matches from the LB position, particularly in the U-17 World Cup. Fabio actually reminded me a bit of Dani Alves in the way that he would push into the centre of midfield at times, even on the weak side.

Allied to this very offensive mentality, he also has extremely impressive aerobic capacity (something he shares with his brother), which allows him to make a very high number of attacking incorporations right throughout a match, great speed (again, something both lads possess), and a well developed tactical intelligence (this was the an where I thought he showed a lot more than Rafael), which means that he times his forward runs well and takes up very clever attacking positions. His football intelligence also means that he picks the right options with the ball, knowing when to keep things simple and when to try something a bit different.

And in terms of technique, he looks like the total package really - right footed, but he can dribble, pass and cross well with both feet, and has a very impressive shot from medium range. The other thing that really stood out about him in comparison to his brother was the threat he posed in dead-ball situations. He's a small lad, but he looked dangerous nearly on nearly every free-kick or corner and managed to score I think two or three goals with his head.

Defensively he works hard, but still has a ways to go, particularly in terms of defending one-on-ones and closing the space behind his back. Also you can see how small both he and Rafael still are, which I think can be a problem in England, particularly as they're not anything like fully physically developed. Although having said that, it's certainly not an insurmountable one, as evidenced by the fantastic success that Evra has had.

Overall I thought he was Brazil's second best performer in the South American U-17 championship and unquestionably their best at the U-17 World Cup, where he was one of the most impressive players for any team. Rafael, on the other hand, for me was maybe probably best RB in Korea, behind the outstanding Daniel Opare of Ghana (who has, I believe, since been snapped up by Madrid).

Originally Posted by Serenity Now

I've seen a fair bit of them for the Brazilian U-17s and Fabio was definitely the more impressive of the two. Rafael looked good, but more of a standard two-way fullback than Fabio, who was really bossing the team and dictating matches from the LB position, particularly in the U-17 World Cup. Fabio actually reminded me a bit of Dani Alves in the way that he would push into the centre of midfield at times, even on the weak side.

Allied to this very offensive mentality, he also has extremely impressive aerobic capacity (something he shares with his brother), which allows him to make a very high number of attacking incorporations right throughout a match, great speed (again, something both lads possess), and a well developed tactical intelligence (this was the an where I thought he showed a lot more than Rafael), which means that he times his forward runs well and takes up very clever attacking positions. His football intelligence also means that he picks the right options with the ball, knowing when to keep things simple and when to try something a bit different.

And in terms of technique, he looks like the total package really - right footed, but he can dribble, pass and cross well with both feet, and has a very impressive shot from medium range. The other thing that really stood out about him in comparison to his brother was the threat he posed in dead-ball situations. He's a small lad, but he looked dangerous nearly on nearly every free-kick or corner and managed to score I think two or three goals with his head.

Defensively he works hard, but still has a ways to go, particularly in terms of defending one-on-ones and closing the space behind his back. Also you can see how small both he and Rafael still are, which I think can be a problem in England, particularly as they're not anything like fully physically developed. Although having said that, it's certainly not an insurmountable one, as evidenced by the fantastic success that Evra has had.

Overall I thought he was Brazil's second best performer in the South American U-17 championship and unquestionably their best at the U-17 World Cup, where he was one of the most impressive players for any team. Rafael, on the other hand, for me was maybe probably best RB in Korea, behind the outstanding Daniel Opare of Ghana (who has, I believe, since been snapped up by Madrid).

They are not that small.

How tall are they?

I would worry if they both lined up, or even one and Evra, against some teams in the PL.

Originally Posted by dunk

How tall are they?

I would worry if they both lined up, or even one and Evra, against some teams in the PL.

They are taller than Paddy. Rafael looks about 5,8 and Fabio looks a bit taller.

Originally Posted by Part 36 Offer

They are not that small.

Originally Posted by Serenity Now

Yeah cheers for confirming my post.

Originally Posted by Part 36 Offer

Yeah cheers for confirming my post.

I guess I missed the part where I said that they were midgets?

Originally Posted by Serenity Now

I guess I missed the part where I said that they were midgets?

I guess so.

Serenity, what do you make of Rodrigo Possebon?

Really interesting reading your thoughts on the twins, I think we have such an exciting prospect on our hands in those two.

Originally Posted by JakeB

Serenity, what do you make of Rodrigo Possebon?

Honestly, I haven't seen enough of him to make a really fair comment. But from what I have seen, I'd say that physically he looks to be a decent sized big lad, with pretty good strength and good mobility. In terms of playing style, you can see that he's a continuity midfielder - someone who likes to play the ball simply, keeping it moving around with a lot of short and medium range passes - although he also seems capable of switching the point of attack quickly with the deep pass.

First touch is nice and assured, and it seems he can can play the ball comfortably with both feet, although you'd have to see how he holds up against tougher opposition to see just how ambidextrous he really is. Also appears to possess a strong shot from the edge of the box.

Tactically I'd say that there is a lot of room for improvement there, both during the attacking and defensive phases. This is obviously a very important element for a central midfielder!

Overall I think it's still far too early to say whether he can make it at the top level or no, as he doesn't have that real stand out quality that exceptional young players like Giggs, Rooney, Ronaldo, Tevez, etc had at an even younger age. However, he is clearly an intriguing prospect, one whose progress it should be interesting to track at the very least.

Really interesting reading your thoughts on the twins, I think we have such an exciting prospect on our hands in those two.

Yep. I've been very excited since I saw them play for the Brazilian U-17s. To have snapped them up even before they featured at that level looks like an extremely shrewd piece of business by the club.

Having said that, it's basically impossible to be 100% sure that a player is going to make it at that age, so I'm still trying not to get my hopes up too much.

Originally Posted by Serenity Now

Honestly, I haven't seen enough of him to make a really fair comment. But from what I have seen, I'd say that physically he looks to be a decent sized big lad, with pretty good strength and good mobility. In terms of playing style, you can see that he's a continuity midfielder - someone who likes to play the ball simply, keeping it moving around with a lot of short and medium range passes - although he also seems capable of switching the point of attack quickly with the deep pass.

First touch is nice and assured, and it seems he can can play the ball comfortably with both feet, although you'd have to see how he holds up against tougher opposition to see just how ambidextrous he really is. Also appears to possess a strong shot from the edge of the box.

Tactically I'd say that there is a lot of room for improvement there, both during the attacking and defensive phases. This is obviously a very important element for a central midfielder!

Overall I think it's still far too early to say whether he can make it at the top level or no, as he doesn't have that real stand out quality that exceptional young players like Giggs, Rooney, Ronaldo, Tevez, etc had at an even younger age. However, he is clearly an intriguing prospect, one whose progress it should be interesting to track at the very least.Yep. I've been very excited since I saw them play for the Brazilian U-17s. To have snapped them up even before they featured at that level looks like an extremely shrewd piece of business by the club.

Having said that, it's basically impossible to be 100% sure that a player is going to make it at that age, so I'm still trying not to get my hopes up too much.

How can you be so sure of this despite not seeing much of him? Phases

Plus the four players of stand out quality are all flair players and cannot be compared.

He is essentially a central midfield player with a great eye for a pass with two good feet. He is mobile and links up play well with sharp passing. It is much more difficult for such a player to stand out in a way akin to those players you mentioned above.

I remember watching Scholes as a young player. Despite not having extraordinary facets to his game one could sense that he had an awareness about him on the football pitch that all great players possess. Possebon seems to share this awareness and appreciation for space as well as the ability to create time on the ball.

He looks to be an apprentice in the art of pass and move. A trait that some of the greatest players ever boast.

Originally Posted by Part 36 Offer

How can you be so sure of this despite not seeing much of him? Phases

You don't need that much time to see if someone is generally taking up the correct positions, picking the right passes, what kind of off-the-ball runs they make, whether they're tracking midfield runners, dropping between the centre-backs when the centre-back is covering for the full-back etc. Obviously you can't give a really firm assessment based on a only a few matches, but you can get a decent idea at least.

Originally Posted by Serenity Now

You don't need that much time to see if someone is generally taking up the correct positions, picking the right passes, what kind of off-the-ball runs they make, whether they're tracking midfield runners, dropping between the centre-backs when the centre-back is covering for the full-back etc. Obviously you can't give a really firm assessment based on a only a few matches, but you can get a decent idea at least.

Okay.