Rafael's Departure Marks the End of an Era at Manchester United

As Rafael bid an emotional farewell to Manchester United and his colleagues via social media, it brought home just how well-liked he was by those who work for the club.

It also stands as the distinct end of a very particular era in the career of Sir Alex Ferguson. Whether through the financial impact of the Glazer regime, or some whim of his last few years, Sir Alex's teams in his last couple of seasons simply could not stack up—man for man—against his best sides.

Instead of assembling as many brilliant individuals as he could, Ferguson instead built teams, finding players whom he could coalesce into more than the sum of their parts. Somehow, in spite of replacing Cristiano Ronaldo with Michael Owen, Antonio Valencia and Gabriel Obertan, Sir Alex's United won two out of the subsequent four seasons.

 The other two seasons, they finished second by a point and by goal difference, respectively.

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Rafael was a key part of that side. He is, ultimately, a player with some flaws. His early career was practically defined by an impetuousness that would get him in trouble. His first response if he was beaten by a winger was to fling out an arm and attempt to pull his man back towards him.

When he got sent off against Louis van Gaal's Bayern Munich, Sir Alex defended his player—and threw in a little casual xenophobia—by saying "The young boy showed a bit of inexperience but they got him sent off. Everyone sprinted towards the referee—typical Germans," per the Guardian.

That Sir Alex was getting the maximum possible out of the players he had at the club was evidenced by how quickly the edifice crumbled once he had left. Rafael, like several other players, has been a victim of that. The scale of change has been remarkable. Of the 34 players listed on United's official website as part of the first-team squad, just 11 played under Sir Alex.

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Rafael was among those Ferguson players whom David Moyes did not seem to trust. Moyes selected Chris Smalling at full-back in several key games even though Rafael was fit.

Van Gaal gave him a chance, playing him regularly in September and October of 2014—games in which his form was closer to his late-Ferguson-era performances. However, he was hit by yet another injury, and that was essentially that. Fitness and form eluded him, Antonio Valencia was the undoubted first-choice right-back and now Matteo Darmian has been brought in.

Rafael is beloved by some supporters, for his effort, endeavour and bravery. The image of him standing up to Carlos Tevez is written into United folklore. He truly seemed to love being at the club, to have a sense of what it meant. And Ferguson was able to harness that and help him overcome his limitations.

The post-Ferguson era has seen significant spending and the acquisition of absolutely top-level talent. The change in approach is, in some ways, quite exciting, as it was tough to watch other teams strengthen when United did not appear to be.

On the other hand, and much more importantly, it has not worked yet. Sir Alex's relentless title-winning hunger and his incredible experience and understanding of just what it takes to win the Premier League have not been successfully replaced.

Two full seasons have now passed since he left. Rafael is probably not the last of Sir Alex's final squad who will be deemed surplus to requirements over the coming weeks and months. However, he was emblematic of Sir Alex's side, for worse but much more often for better.

Rafael's flaws were less relevant than his strengths when Sir Alex was in charge. It has been the other way round since. Darmian is probably a better right-back than him, but losing a player as beloved as Rafael is still tough to take.

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The improvements in individual quality in the squad are to be celebrated, but United's current manager must now concentrate on getting the best out of them as a team. In the end, that ability was Sir Alex's greatest strength.