Although the Brazilian full-back was forced to apologise for his behaviour after being sent off at Tottenham last week, an £8,000 fine suggested the Football Association did not view his exchange with referee Mike Dean to be the most heinous of crimes. The punishment cleared Rafael to face Blackpool at Bloomfield Road tomorrow and prove once again the class Giggs sees on a regular basis. "Rafael has come on in leaps and bounds over the last few months," said the veteran Welshman. "I have seen a massive improvement, not only in the way he plays but within him as a person. "I come up against him in a lot of training sessions because we play in opposite positions and I have seen the maturity develop over the last three or four months. "If he keeps developing he is going to be a brilliant player." Rafael has always enjoyed the attacking side, but tended to be less disciplined when it came to defending in his early showings. Although Gary Neville's days at the top level are coming to an end, he offers the ideal template for Rafael to follow. And whilst, at 20 years old, Giggs acknowledges mistakes will still be made, he feels Rafael's pure love of the game helps make up for the minor deficiencies. "You can't teach that, the enthusiasm Rafael brings to the game when he makes those forward runs and dribbles past people," said Giggs. "Players rely on that appetite. "He was really unlucky to get sent off at Tottenham but when you are young you do make little mistakes. All you hope is that the individuals concerned learn from them and get better." United's first top-flight trip to Bloomfield Road in 40 years has taken on even greater significance given the state of the Premier League table. Two points ahead of Arsenal and three in front of Manchester City, a third away win of the season would ease United into a clear lead at the top and turn the screw on all their title rivals. In addition to making a choice between Rafael and John O'Shea at right-back, Ferguson will also need to take a fitness check on Rio Ferdinand's groin injury and the knock to an already sore ankle that Michael Carrick suffered in Saturday's five-goal hammering of Birmingham before finalising his line-up. Sir Alex Ferguson has already stated Giggs will start, and then be rested for Saturday's FA Cup tie at Southampton, and he is likely to be joined by fellow veteran Paul Scholes. And they will face a Blackpool side that is starting to look vulnerable after losing four of their last five games, and with star man Charlie Adam seemingly intent on quitting to complete a dream move to Liverpool. Yet Giggs is not prepared to take anything for granted. "It is a great achievement for Blackpool to be in the Premier League and see them playing such good football," he said. "They have been a breath of fresh air this season because they have gone out and attacked teams. "They have the mindset that they will try and score goals, even if it means conceding a few. "There has been so many exciting games involving Blackpool, which is a credit to them." There have been many great press conferences involving Ian Holloway too, a character Giggs has warmed to and whose infectious enthusiasm he believes filters down to his players. "The manner Ian Holloway behaves transcends to the players," he said. "You can see that they are playing with freedom. They respect the teams they are playing against but they think they can beat them. "That is a great thing to have. I am sure it will be the same when they are facing us."
