Marauding Brazilian right-back Rafael believes Manchester United’s pre-season tour will be an ideal opportunity to impress new boss David Moyes.
The 22-year-old cemented himself as United’s first-choice right-back last season after played 38 times for the Old Trafford club in a title-winning campaign.
But the Brazilian is aware putting in the graft in pre-season will reap the rewards in months to come as the Red Devils aim to defend their Premier League crown.
“The pre-season tours are a big part of preparation work for the new season,” he told United’s official website.
“If you play well, you can put a thought in the manager’s mind and maybe change his mind if you perhaps weren’t in his plans for the first few games.
“Not only are we able to put in some hard work on the training pitch when we’re on tour, it’s good to see different cultures and different things.”
United won their 20th league crown last campaign – claiming it back from rivals Manchester City – in what was Sir Alex Ferguson’s final season in charge.
Having spent five seasons in United’s first-team, Rafael has been on his fair share on tours around the world, something he always looks forward to.
“Pre-season is always good, it’s enjoyable. I like this stage of the year a lot. I feel good when I’m working,” he explained.
“It’s great that we’re able to visit countries across the world because we have so many fans.
“We are a big club and we have supporters everywhere and it’s good for us to go on tour and see them.
“The tour is a great experience for the young players and the older players like Ryan Giggs and Rio Ferdinand are always really encouraging when we’re away and help us a lot.”
United’s pre-season tour sees them play in Thailand, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong and Sweden to improve their fitness and prepare for the new campaign.
Image courtesy of Sky Sports, via YouTube, with thanks.
For more on this story and many others, follow Mancunian Matters on Twitter and Facebook.
