Rafael was substituted off seven minutes before the half-time whistle due to a thigh strain during Saturday's match loss to Lorient, ligue 1 reports.

The right-back has had a terrific start to the season so far for a club that sits in the middle of the table. Coach Bruno Genesio said that the reason for the early substitution was to keep the injury from worsening. This injury could make him doubtful for the Champions League trip to Sevilla on Tuesday.

Rafael tallied an assist on two key passes, one shot off target, four crosses and six tackles in Wednesday's 5-1 Ligue 1 drubbing of Montpellier.

Rafael registered his first assist of the season after a stellar performance. He ran wild back and forth taking active part both on offense and defense and ending up with an outstanding fantasy tally. Another one could be coming his way Saturday when visiting the rock-bottom Lorient.

Rafael tallied an assist on seven crosses, a clean sheet, one shot off target, two tackles and received a yellow card in Wednesday's Champions League 3-0 victory over Dinamo Zagreb.

Rafael had a fantastic inclusion in the game, especially in the first 30 minutes. He had a few surgical crosses, with one of them finding the vicious header of Corentin Tolisso for the opener of the game. Next CL challenge will be a tough visit to Sevilla where the right back may not be able to fly forward so often.

Rafael recorded a clean sheet, five dribbles and four clearances in Friday's 2-0 Ligue 1 match versus Caen.

Rafael successfully juggled between his defensive and attacking duties with Caen putting up little resistance. Lyon swarmed their visitors and there were a ton of fantasy stats for everybody from the hosts. It seems like that would be the case for the majority of the season and Rafael should be a very strong fantasy option regardless of opponent.

Rafael kept a clean sheet and was issued a yellow card in Sunday's 3-0 victory over Nancy.

With Lyon controlling the passage of play for the vast majority of the match, Rafael wasn't tested particularly often and handled it well throughout the match. Discipline was something of a problem for the Brazilian last season as well, seeing eight yellows in 21 league matches. If he can stay fit, he'll need to tighten things up to avoid suspension.

Rafael signed a four-year contract to join Lyon on Monday, reports Sky Sports.

The defender had one year remaining on his contract with Manchester United, but was deemed excess to manager Louis van Gaal's squad for the coming season. New signing Matteo Darmian is seen as Rafael's replacement at the club.

Rafael will miss the rest of the season after he broke three ribs in an Under 21 match against Leicester City on Monday, reports the Daily Mail.

Rafael hasn't been a regular starter for manager Louis van Gaal, but will now not have a chance of returning to the side before the end of the campaign. The injury is expected to keep him out for up to six weeks.