Rafael Da Silva Shows Class on Old Trafford Return

Rafael da Silva made his Manchester United return on Sunday afternoon, with the Brazilian full-back having not featured under Louis van Gaal's stewardship since the opening match of the pre-season tour. Rafael made an instant impact offering speed and direct link-up play on the right-hand side, highlighting just how important he will be to United's hopes of qualifying for next season's Champions League.

Given Rafael's absence throughout pre-season, there was significant speculation that the Brazilian may well find his time at Manchester United nearing an end. Simon Jones and Sami Mokbel of the Daily Mail suggested in early August that Van Gaal "had taken the first steps to streamline his Manchester United squad after holding talks with six players, including right-back Rafael."

There has since been changes at Old Trafford, the likes of which supporters have never seen before, with Angel Di Maria, Marcos Rojo, Daley Blind and Radamel Falcao all arriving at the club for a combined fee of around £104 million, according to figures provided by Transfermarkt.

However, there is an element of discrepancy with regards to the total financial layout of the Falcao loan deal, with the Mirror's David McDonnell reporting United will pay £24 million for the season while Mark Ogden of The Telegraph suggests the fee would be slightly closer to £20 million.

Rafael avoided the cull of United's departing players and made his first competitive appearance of the season in the 4-0 victory over Queens Park Rangers. There was a notable difference in United's approach, as Van Gaal elected to switch to a defensive four rather than the "three at the back" system used in the opening three matches.

It is hard to be critical of Antonio Valencia when you see the effort he puts in when on the pitch, yet the Ecuadorian is limited in his defensive capabilities as well as his poor decision-making in the final third being a constant source of frustration to supporters. Rafael offers no such limitations.

One of the main criticisms of United's 3-5-2 system had been the lack of pace at the back. Rafael brought speed in abundance on Sunday afternoon, with the Brazilian ably complementing the energetic midfield diamond of Juan Mata, Ander Herrera, Di Maria and Blind with marauding forward runs, giving the 35-year-old Clint Hill a torrid time at left-back.

A key aspect of Van Gaal's philosophy is being able to not necessarily dominate, but rather control matches by keeping opposing teams at arm's length. Bayern Munich do this perfectly, often making you feel as though you are in the game when really, the Bavarian giants are merely allowing you a short period of possession before the next wave of attacks.

With the lack of energy in United's three-man defence during the opening three Premier League matches, pressure was invited onto Van Gaal's team—hence performances that reminded supporters of the 2013-14 campaign under David Moyes as detailed by Samuel Luckhurst of The Huffington Post.

The introduction of several new faces into a 4-1-3-2 formation kept QPR at an arm's length all afternoon. Rafael and Rojo both bombed forward at pace with great regularity, which ensured both Mauricio Isla and Hill were penned into their own zones at all times. It might not be the same shape as the 3-5-2, but the system Van Gaal used on Sunday still holds the same level of importance from the two full-backs.

We have to look back to the 2007-08 season to see the last truly great Manchester United team, and within that team, the two full-backs were of great importance. Wes Brown on the right and Patrice Evra on the left, both in their respective primes, offered offensive and defensive qualities in equal measure.

Evra linked up with Cristiano Ronaldo on the left-hand side while Brown would often find himself linking with one of Wayne Rooney or Carlos Tevez before making an overlapping run on the right. There have been few examples of such fluid wing play from United's full-backs since that season although Rafael and Rojo illustrated similar qualities on Sunday.

The blossoming partnership between Rojo and Di Maria on the left-hand side is encouraging while one of Herrera and Mata always moved into positive areas to support Rafael on the right.

Former Manchester United defender Danny Higginbotham illustrated the tactical intricacies of Rafael's performance to MUTV (subscription required) earlier this week.

Defensively, Rafael brings an urgency which at times can be slightly negative. The Brazilian has a habit of rushing into challenges that he hasn't quite been able to shake since his younger days. On occasions such as Sunday, this is perfect and gives the team a boost in winning the ball back quickly, setting the team's tempo before returning to the attack.

However, in matches against better opposition who will test United's resolve more consistently, it can be a worry.

The fixture against Everton on October 5 is one such matchup. Everton are very effective on the flanks with Kevin Mirallas and Aiden McGeady both smart enough players to put consistent pressure on a full-back.

This matchup will be the real test for Rafael; will his energetic style of defending be successful against higher quality wingers? The Brazilian can be successful, as we have seen against Gareth Bale in years gone by, yet he can also have problems, as we saw against Franck Ribery in the 2010 clash with Van Gaal's Bayern Munich.

These questions are yet to be answered, but on the evidence of Sunday, Rafael's return to United's first team is a much-needed boost after a difficult start to a campaign where the club can ill afford a repeat of last term.