Scouting Report: Can Rafinha Alcantara Spearhead Manchester United's Revival?
Barcelona's Celta Vigo loanee Rafinha Alcantara is a Manchester United transfer target, per John Cross at the Mirror.
So here is a scouting report on Rafinha, who could spearhead seventh-placed United's revival next season as the club look to rebuild in the summer transfer window.
Rafinha's Season So Far
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Rafinha, 21, has been a La Liga breakout star on loan at a mishmash of a Celta team filled with modest pros (Charles, Fabian Orellana, Michael Krohn-Dehli, Yoel, et al.), two former Barca players (Andreu Fontas, Nolito), under-the-radar prospects (Jonny, Hugo Mallo, Santi Mina) and loanees (Inigo Lopez, Jon Aurtenetxe, Welliton).
Celta manager Luis Enrique, a former Real Madrid and Barca player, is desperate to find a position for Rafinha that not only enriches his development but alleviates the workload of Charles, who has scored eight league goals this season.
The duo have established a strong bond on the field with Charles showing La Liga aficionados that he is La Liga-standard, while Rafinha is adapting quickly at top-flight level.
Enrique has started Rafinha as a left-sided central midfielder, a right forward in a 4-3-3, a central attacking midfielder in a 4-2-3-1 and a right-winger in a 4-1-4-1.
Rafinha has made 10 of 19 La Liga starts as a central midfielder, per WhoScored.
Rafinha is smooth with the ball at his feet, and he will run at opposing defenders especially when playing as an inverted left-footed winger on the right flank.
This was on show in a 2-1 win over Valencia: Left-back Andres Guardado was out of position, Rafinha advanced inwards, saw centre-back Victor Ruiz and defensive midfielder Oriol Romeu jockeying, and took a shot that went wide.
Guardado struggled against Rafinha's directness as he zipped past the Valencia left-back and lobbed a Xavi-type through ball to Charles, who scored.
When statistically comparing Rafinha to United players who've started 10 Premier League games or more this season with 1.1 dribbles per game plus, Rafinha has the highest dribbles per game and has the second highest dribble success percentage.
| League Only | Dribbles Per Game | Dribble Success % |
| Rafinha | 2.4 | 62 |
| Adnan Januzaj | 1.7 | 55 |
| Wayne Rooney | 1.5 | 64 |
| Antonio Valencia | 1.2 | 48 |
Rafinha being a lively threat off the dribble means he can divert attention away from his teammates.
One example was when Betis left-back Nacho leaned inside, anticipating Rafinha cutting in.
As a result, Nacho did not track Celta right-back Mallo's run and Rafinha delivered a perfectly weighted pass.
United manager David Moyes is an ardent believer in besieging opposing teams with crosses as his players sent in 81 crosses in a 2-2 draw against Fulham, "the most by a Premier League team since 2006," per Alistair Magowan at BBC Sport.
In a 4-2 win over Real Betis, left-back Nacho gave Rafinha space.
He cut in and hit a left-footed incisive cross which led to left-forward Orellana notching up a headed goal for Celta.
When Celta beat Granada 2-1, Rafinha found himself in a highly advantageous matchup on the left wing.
He was in a one-on-one situation with Granada take-on specialist Yacine Brahimi, a left forward, who averages four more dribbles (5.0) than tackles made per game (1.0).
Rafinha schooled Brahimi and sent in a precise cross for Celta centre-back Gustavo Cabral, who headed home.
Rafinha is not under pressure to cross at every waking moment, but he delivers accurate and piercing crosses with higher efficiency than any of United's players.
| League Only | Crosses Per Game | Cross Success %* |
| Rafinha | 0.5 | 31.4 |
| Rooney | 1.3 | 19.3 |
| Juan Mata | 1.3 | 18.5 |
| Patrice Evra | 0.9 | 22.8 |
| Valencia | 0.8 | 18.1 |
| * 25 CS% is par | ||
Rafinha is so technically gifted that people often forget he is a better tackler than some defensive players.
He averages 2.4 tackles per game, which is more prolific than United players such as Tom Cleverley (2.2), Michael Carrick (2.0) and Rafael (1.9).
Why United Can Sign Rafinha
"Several teams have called asking about him," Mazinho, Rafinha's father, said in 2011, per Paul Bryan at UEFA.com. "We are clear the priority is Barcelona and I'm convinced that is where he will stay."
If you support Barca, you know Mazinho was talking about Rafinha's older brother, Thiago, whose contract contained a €90 million buyout clause.
What was unbeknownst to those not in the know was Mazinho and Pere Guardiola, Thiago's agent, would later exercise a sub-clause which nullified the buyout clause and activated a release clause.
This opened the door for Bayern Munich, coached by Pere's brother Pep—the former manager of Barca—to sign Thiago at a €65 million discount, per Sports Illustrated.
Rafinha was a Spanish youth international, only to have an epiphany and switch allegiance to Brazil.
The obvious link is his father, Mazinho, a 1994 FIFA World Cup-winning player under Carlos Alberto Parreira's Brazil team alongside Bebeto, Claudio Taffarel, Dunga, Jorginho, Marcio Santos, Romario et al.
Mazinho claimed Thiago was "close to joining Manchester United," per La Xarxa (h/t Duncan McMath at ESPN FC), yet Thiago contradicted his father by saying the United links were fabricated, per Sky Sports.
Rafinha leaving Barca in the summer transfer window could be a possibility if his father, Mazinho, continues his meddlesome ways.
United have "at least £100 million" to spend in the summer transfer window, per Mark Ogden at the Telegraph, so a complete footballer such as Rafinha is a player Moyes must attempt to sign.
Statistics via WhoScored, FFT Stats Zone, Squawka and Transfermarkt.
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