New deal for Rafael

12 April 2012

Manchester United right back Rafael has signed a two-year contract extension until June 2013 at Old Trafford.

It is the 18-year-old Brazilian's reward for an outstanding first season in England. Rafael has made 24 appearances, scoring one goal and manager Sir Alex Ferguson is delighted with his progress.

"Everyone at the club has been very impressed and excited by his first year as a professional," Ferguson told www.manutd.com. "His enthusiasm and the adventurous way he plays is typical of a Manchester United player and we are delighted that he has signed a new contract."

Rafael, who arrived in July last year after being brought up in Rio de Janiero, hopes to have a long association with United.

He said: "It has been a fantastic first year and I have learned from all the players at the club but especially from the defenders.

"It has been an exciting time for me and I want to be part of this for a long time so to get an extension is unbelievable."

Rafael was part of the team which defeated Tottenham 5-2 at home on Saturday to move three points clear of Liverpool at the top of the Barclays Premier League.

He could also be involved on Wednesday in the Champions League semi-final first leg against Arsenal at Old Trafford.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in