LONG-TERM PLANS

Rafael Da Silva and Fabio da Silva’s agent Cassiano Pereira has revealed that he is close to securing the long-term future of both the players. Fabio da Silva has been linked with a loan move away from Manchester United in order to gain experience.

Cassiano Pereira confirmed that his client has indeed signed for Premier league club QPR after deciding that a move back to Portugal will not be the best option right now. Playing at QPR will allow him to get Premier league experience according to Cassiano Pereira, who is also closer to securing a new long-term contract for Rafael Da Silva at Manchester United.

The twin brothers arrived at Manchester United when they were just 18 years old. Rafael Da Silva has established himself as one of the regular players at Manchester United, but Fabio Da Silva has struggled to do the same due to the presence of Patrice Evra in his position. Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said prior to the close of the last season that he wanted Fabio Da Silva to gain experience by playing on loan at other clubs, with Portugal being the likely destination. However, Cassiano Pereira has confirmed that his client has signed for QPR on a season long loan deal.

‘He is a sought-after player because he is still young, and we think that his transfer to QPR was the best decision at the time. He preferred to stay in England to remain in touch with the country’s football style and so that he would not have a problem to adapt to it when he returned to United,’ said Cassiano Pereira about the future of Fabio Da Silva. Chelsea were extremely keen on signing Rafael Da Silva, but the Brazilian is all set to commit to a new long-term deal with Manchester United.

FABIO EXCITED AT BENFICA OPPORTUNITY

Manchester United defender Fabio da Silva has said that he is extremely excited at the prospect of being able to join a club like Benfica, even though it will be only on a loan deal till the end of the season.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson revealed a few months back that he plans to loan out a number of high profile players in order to help them with getting more experience. Fabio Da Silva and Federico Macheda are expected to be part of the players going out on loan. Even though Rafael Da Silva has been able to get regular first-team football at Manchester United, Fabio Da Silva has struggled largely due to the presence of French defender Patrice Evra.

However, with the Frenchman coming to the end of his career, it is expected that Fabio would be the replacement. Prior to becoming a first-team regular at Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson thinks that it is necessary for a player to get some first-team experience elsewhere. Ferguson is also thought to be interested in signing Benfica midfielder Gaitan. It is thought that Manchester United are looking at the possibility of bringing down the transfer fee by sending Fabio Da Silva on a loan deal till the end of the next season.

“Fabio is excited to go. It is very settled, and I think will be good for everyone. He wants to make the move. I’ve been in Lisbon for four or five days and loved it, it’s a very beautiful city, and since Fabio will be happy here I am also going to be,” said Fabio Da Silva’s mother Laurinda in an interview to O Jogo. Rafael Da Silva, though, will stay at Manchester United after he has been able to establish himself in the first-team.

DA SILVAS ARE THE FUTURE

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has said that the Brazilian twins Fabio Da Silva and Rafael Da Silva will be the future of Manchester United. The two players are capable of playing on either flanks and are especially known for the pace and skill. However, they have been beset by a number of injury problems in the past, but Sir Alex Ferguson has backed them to put these problems behind them. The twins came to Manchester United from Brazilian club Fluminense in the summer of 2008, and have been playing regularly since then. The retirement of Gary Neville seems to have certainly have helped Rafael Da Silva, while Fabio Da Silva has certainly found it tough to replace Patrice Evra.

However, the French full-back is coming close to the end of his career and it has been rumoured that Fabio Da Silva is being prepared by Sir Alex Ferguson to replace him. Fabio Da Silva has already made a number of appearances this season, although they are mostly in the meaningless games like the Carling cup. However, Sir Alex Ferguson expects Fabio Da Silva to be an integral part of the Manchester United future. Ironically, the two players suffered an injury in the Carling cup quarter-final match against Crystal Palace and will not be featuring in the match against QPR on Sunday.

“The two of them are terrific talents. But they keep getting injuries, the kids are always getting them. I’m hoping that maturity eradicates all these things they have but it’s all different types of injuries you know,” Sir Alex Ferguson said on Manchester United’s official website. Ferguson also praised the two players by saying that they are very much similar to former Manchester United midfielder Bryan Robson in that they recognise danger pretty quickly.