Meanwhile, Rafael has opened up about his exit from Manchester United, claiming manager Van Gaal did not like him.
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Today, Barcelona released a statement proclaiming that Pedro, who has amassed over 50 caps for Spain and been at the Catalonian club since his was a child, wants to leave the Spanish Champions – with United looking the likely destination.
He told Globo Esporte, “I know the history [is] that he doesn’t like Brazilians, but I can’t say “Oh, he doesn’t like Brazilians”.
“Yes, I know he was not happy with me, but I do not know if it was because I was Brazilian”.
Rafael played 28 games in Ferguson’s final Premier League- winning season, in 2012-13, the highest number since he first joined in 2008. “He’s also a great player but I was doing well in that position”, bemoaned the Brazilian.
The new goalkeeper is being judged by his CV, as it’s unlikely that many fans at Old Trafford watched the handful of games he played in Italy previous year.
One day, when I was injured, I was with my wife at Camp Nou and Van Gaal went up to her. He asked her how it was possible that she married someone like me.
“With Van Gaal, the relationship was normal”.
Van Gaal claimed that Valdes wouldn’t follow his “philosophy”, when the Catalan refused to play for the U-21s.
Rafael says that Fergie leaving the club was a big blow for him and that he fell down the pecking orders after Van Gaal arrived. But to be honest, I can’t say that he actually doesn’t like us. “That change was fatal for me”.
United will have to meet his £22m buyout clause to bring him to Old Trafford – but Hargreaves is convinced the 28-year-old will thrive in England. When Ferguson left it was disastrous for me.
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“He is destroying all the players because he is so mediocre, players have left because of him”. “I don’t know what is going to happen. I always respected it and I will always respect it”, he concluded. Van Gaal’s deployment of Valencia at right-back and the subsequent signing of Matteo Darmian suggests he feels as though he needs a slicker option bombing on from deep.
