Rafael hoping injury return can boost Manchester United

The Brazilian right-back suffered a setback against Crystal Palace in the League Cup defeat back in November, but now looks set to have overcome his injury woes having featured in his side's recent fixtures against Arsenal and Liverpool."At the beginning, we were unbelievable," Rafael told the club's official website. "It was brilliant. Now, it might not be so spectacular but we are still getting results. "To be right up there alongside Manchester City is a big achievement when you consider the injuries we’ve had. We've had a lot of them this season and a lot of bad luck, too. But there’s no point complaining about those things. And anyway, we’re still in a good position."In many ways, it feels like it's only the beginning of the season for me. I know it’s the end of January already, but I’m just getting started. So I’m really looking forward to playing as many games as possible and, hopefully, helping the team win another title."Rafael is aware that new competition had emerged at right-back during his absence, with Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Antonio Valencia all having featured there this season."It's a good thing when you have that sort of competition," he said. "When I watch Phil or Chris play at right-back I just think, 'Wow. Okay, I'm going to have to work even harder now if I want to get back in the team.' They've done really well."The 21-year-old admitted finding his time on the sidelines difficult, but vowed not to change his committed and passionate style of play."Being injured is the worst feeling in the world, but you can't let yourself get too down," Rafael added. "You just have to work hard, come into the training ground every day and do the exercises you know will help you recover. "Watching the games is the most difficult part, though. You're in the stands but all you want to do is get out there and help."It's been a little difficult, obviously. I had a bad injury to my shoulder in August but now I've recovered and I've managed to play a few games. I just hope I can enjoy a better second half of the season than the first."I can only say [the injuries] must be down to bad luck. I like to play with passion and when I’m on the pitch I can't worry about getting hurt or stop making tackles. I just want to play football and give my all."Rafael added that his brother, Fabio, who has also struggled with injuries this season, helped him through his spell in the physio's room."It's true that we [Rafael and Fabio] like to go out together – we eat together, we go to the cinema together. But we didn't plan to get injured at the same time. Definitely not! "My brother's always a big help to me when I'm injured, though, and I try and do the same for him when he's out. It's good to have somebody there to keep you positive."The Fluminense academy graduate was open to the idea of featuring in midfield when needed, having filled in in the centre of the park against Blackburn Rovers."I've played there before for United so I knew what was expected of me," he said. "When the manager told me I was playing in midfield I wasn't worried. I'm a professional footballer so I'll play anywhere.