Manchester United fans have voted Brazilian full-back Rafael da Silva as the club’s Player of the Month for September, following voting on the Red Devils’ official website.
Rafael, 22, edged out veteran midfielder Paul Scholes for the honour, with 48% of the vote – only 4% more than the midfielder.
It is the first time in the former Fluminense youngster’s four years at Old Trafford that he has won the award, coming after a month when he scored a vital goal at Anfield to help the club come back to beat rivals Liverpool.
Only this week, manager Sir Alex Ferguson has spoken of his delight at the form of his first-choice right-back, who was made into the villain of Brazil’s Olympic campaign after an early mistake in the final against Mexico.
With brother Fábio having departed on a season-long loan to QPR, Rafael has spoken of the need to mature as a player and now, after nearly 100 appearances for the Reds, it appears he is coming into the most consistent patch of his career at Old Trafford so far.
