Former Manchester United defender Rafael believes that Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement from management left the club in a state of “shock” from which they have been unable to recover.
Since the Scot departed the Old Trafford hotseat in 2013 after 27 years in charge, United have failed to recapture any of their former glory, falling off the pace in the Premier League and struggling even to maintain a position in the top four to allow them to compete in the Champions League.
Rafael, who is now playing with Lyon in Ligue 1, says that Ferguson leaving had a profound impact on all those involved at the side.
“When he left it was a shock to everyone,” the Brazil international told ESPN.
“For him it was good because he left having passed Liverpool for the most titles, but I would have loved for him to stay for three or four more years. It was definitely a shock, not just for me but for all of the players.
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“Many things happened [after that]. He stayed for a long, long time with the same structure and the same people. Then a new manager comes and what is he going to do? How many people does he bring with him? What's he going to change after 27 years of victory? It's hard when a guy comes and it's like that.”
Ferguson had a deep impact on the 29-year-old, whose sense of professionalism was shaped by the former Aberdeen boss.
“Everyone knows about his winning mentality but he's a person who helps everyone,” he said. “But not just help like doing kind stuff all the time, also telling them the way to do things. He did that with me and my brother [Fabio] many times. He didn't speak with us a lot because we were quiet guys. We didn't do a lot of silly stuff but when we did he would tell us.
“I remember one time, I started to like horse racing. We went to the horse racing in Liverpool. The next day he finds out we went there and he called me and my brother to his office and he said: 'Look, I know you went to the horse racing, you know where you went?' We said: 'It was in Liverpool' and he just said: 'Be careful where you go.' We didn't do a lot of silly stuff but he wanted to tell us to be careful what we do and where you go.”
Rafael has featured 18 times for OL this season but played 109 times for United over a spell that ran from 2008-2015.
