Nantes defender Fabio da Silva has said that he owes legendary Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson for the impact he made on his career as a professional footballer. He made this known during an exclusive interview with the Manchester Evening News (MEN). According to him, Sir Alex Ferguson looked after him and his brother Rafael da Silva when they signed for the Red Devils as teenagers over a decade ago.
Fabio da Silva and Rafael da Silva both signed for Manchester United at the same time after they were spotted at a youth tournament. Fabio da Silva said Sir Alex Ferguson is a fantastic person as he thanked him for what the Scot did for him, his brother Rafael and his family. The Nantes fullback said Sir Alex Ferguson liked him and his brother as people and not as footballers alone.
Fabio da Silva is a utility fullback who’s capable of playing either as a left-back or as a right-back. The Nantes defender is more versatile in this regard than his brother Rafael who has played as a right-back all his life. Despite his limitation as a right-back only, Rafael da Silva played a lot more than Fabio da Silva at Manchester United.
Rafael da Silva featured for the Red Devils 170 times, while Fabio da Silva played 56 times for the Old Trafford outfit. He played for Manchester United during the 2011 Champions League final as he played at right-back in the place of his brother Rafael da Silva, who was injured at that time. Fabio da Silva was unable to prevent Lionel Messi and co. from running out 3-1 winners during that 2011 Champions League final at the Wembley Stadium. Fabio da Silva is a regular in the Nantes struggling to survive relegation from the top flight in France this season.