Man United’s Fabio ready to fight with Rafael for right-back spot

Fabio da Silva has insisted he is ready to fight with his brother Rafael for a first-team place at Manchester United.

The Brazilian made his first Premier League start under Sir Alex Ferguson’s successor David Moyes as the Red Devils were 2-0 winners against Crystal Palace at Old Trafford on Saturday.

The 23-year-old made 21 top-flight appearances during a season-long loan at Queens Park Rangers last term, and Fabio is ready to continue the sibling rivalry with Rafael in a bid to become United’s first-choice right-back.

“I think I did okay today,” Fabio told PA Sport.

“I definitely want to impress the new manager. I did this on the training ground. That is why I played today. I trained hard. I worked hard. He has seen me do that on the training ground, so he put me in the team.

“Hopefully, if I play well, I will stay there and I will fight with my brother for the position.

He continued: “That is what I have spoken about with him in the past. Now we are going to fight with him for the position. Why not? We have always fought over everything – PlayStation, anything.

“We fight with each other to win. This is no different. Now we are 23. We are mature. It is important, whether me or him plays, that we do well.

“I am confident in myself that I can play for Manchester United. But Manchester United is one of the biggest clubs in the world. They have fantastic players here.

“If it doesn’t work out here maybe I have a chance of going to another club but I am still hopeful of playing here. I will try to the end to do that. I got in the team today and hopefully I can play more throughout the season.”