Rafael has been consistently featuring in Manchester United's right-back slot in recent years and was at one time seen as Gary Neville's natural successor in the position. Louis van Gaal, however, is of a different opinion on the man who turns 25 on Thursday.
The remaining of the two Brazilian twins - the other one of course being Fabio, currently at Championship side Cardiff City - played six games consecutively after returning from a groin injury in the early days of van Gaal's tenure at United. From there, it was all downhill, and the 1-1 draw including a last-gasp Robin van Persie equaliser against Chelsea in October was the last notable game in which he played the full 90 minutes for United.
The final nail in the coffin of his United career was the bump on the road to recovery he came across in April. Just before half-time in the U21 showdown against Leicester City, which ended 1-1 after a Sean Goss equaliser, he suffered a season-ending injury. A long ball was knocked forward which resulted in a 50-50 challenge between Rafael and Foxes winger Anthony Knockaert, whose knee found its way into the ribs of his opponent, fracturing them in the accident.
Italy or Turkey for his next stop?
The reports of Rafael being perceived as surplus are coming from the Manchester Evening News, which is also reporting that Turkish giants Galatasaray are interested in the right-back with 170 appearances for United. Other potential destinations are Serie A outfits Napoli and Fiorentina. The 25-year-old might, however, remain in the Premier League, with the the local paper also claiming that "two mystery Premier League clubs have logged their interest" in the Brazilian.
Over the years, Rafael has provided five goals and twelve assists in a grand total of 8162 minutes in the Premier League, added to being one of the best full-backs in the league at times. His United scoring record is even equal to that of legendary United right-back Neville, who hit the tally in 432 more league appearances - not to mention being the same as Neville's fellow pundit Michael Owen.