Da Silva twins name favourite Man United stars, back one for impressive feat

Da Silva twins name favourite Man United stars, back one for impressive feat

Former Manchester United twins Fabio and Rafael da Silva have named their favourite current players at the club, as they tipped one to achieve an impressive milestone.

United tenures

The Da Silva twins joined United as teenagers in January 2008 from Fluminense, having drawn the attention of the club’s scouts during a youth tournament in Hong Kong.

The legendary Sir Alex Ferguson integrated the two full-backs into the first team set-up and they promptly adapted to the intensity and physicality of the Premier League. Rafael made his Premier League debut as a substitute in August. He grabbed his first goal for the club with a consolation effort against Arsenal.

Meanwhile, Fabio debuted around the same time as his brother but featured less so, due to injuries and competition from Patrice Evra.

The pair became cult heroes at United, making a combined 226 appearances. Rafael left United in 2015 for Lyon. Fabio moved to Cardiff City in 2014 after a QPR loan stint.

The Da Silva twins spoke to club media and were asked to name their current favourite United players.

Da Silva twins’ remarks

Rafael answered, “I think it’s easy. For me, it’s Bruno Fernandes by far, I just love him. He’s going to do it [get the Premier League assists record].”

Fernandes is of course just three assists away from the Premier League assists record (20), which is jointly held by Kevin De Bruyne and Thierry Henry.

Fabio said, “I like the Brazilian boys. I like Casemiro and I like [Matheus] Cunha. I think Cunha has a strong mentality for the game, I really like [him].”

Rafael and Fabio spoke proudly of paving the way for fellow Brazilians to come in and play for United.

Fabio explained, “Every time you have a Brazilian there, I love it. I love to watch the Brazilians because I watch Manchester United, so to watch Brazilians there makes me happy. It makes me think about the past as well, when we played there. I always want [to see] Brazilian players.”

Rafael added, “The good thing was, after us, Ando [Anderson], me, my brother, Rodrigo, other players… [previously] we didn’t have a lot of Brazilians in Manchester United. Now you just keep it [going]. After us, there’s a lot of Brazilian players.”

United note that Fabio and Rafael will attend United’s home meeting with Liverpool on 3 May.

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