Rafael da Silva has delivered a scathing assessment of Alexis Sanchez’s social media post where he suggested he wanted to leave Manchester United after just one training session.
Sanchez goes down as one of the biggest flops in United’s recent history after sealing a permanent exit to Inter Milan this summer.
The Chilean performed awfully throughout his 18 months at Old Trafford and supporters were eventually just as pleased to see him leave as he was.
Sanchez caused controversy last month with an Instagram video where he gave a bizarre recount of his experiences in Manchester.
“In the first training, I had realised many things. I came home and I told my representative: ‘Can’t the contract be terminated to return to Arsenal?’” he said, as quoted by the Athletic.
“They start laughing and I told them that something did not sit right with me. It [the contract] had already been signed.”
For someone being paid a basic wage of £390,000 per-week (FourFourTwo) and playing at one of the biggest clubs in world football, these comments obviously didn’t sit right with United supporters.
Rafael was praised by the fanbase for his jibe at Sanchez in the comments section: “Maybe he saw a ghost and get scared that’s explain why he play so bad every time,” he said, as per the Athletic.
The Brazilian’s dig does not completely reflect just how angered he he was by Sanchez for making excuses and disrespecting the club.
In a fascinating, wide-ranging interview with Adam Crafton of the Athletic, Rafael gave his brutally honest views on the events.
“It is a joke. The guy came after the first training session and said, ‘I want to move.’
“Why do you want to move? He said this because he played shit for Manchester United. It is easy to blame other people, man. All the time, you blame others.
“It’s this shit, it’s that shit.’ What is the point? It is so easy. It was my reaction. I woke up and saw that and thought, ‘It is not possible.’ The guy cannot say that, so I just reacted. Everyone knows I love Manchester United, and I just reacted.”
Rafael won three Premier League titles and has maintained a special connection with the club ever since joining Lyon five seasons ago.
As a supporter in his own right, Rafael shares the frustration of the club’s current plight and his emotive verdict on Sanchez sums up the general consensus on the matter within the fanbase.
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