There will be many decisions made at Old Trafford throughout this season that will impact both the club’s immediate and long-term future. While many fans are clamoring about the potential transfers in January as the team continues to stumble (currently in fourth place in the EPL), one of the most important decisions that faces manager Louis van Gaal and his staff will be what to do with Colombian striker Radamel Falcao.
Falcao’s future has been a hot topic of debate among Manchester United fans for a while now. Though the team has until the end of the season to decide whether or not to sign him on a permanent basis, there is already enough reasons why they shouldn’t make that move. As sexy as the signing was when it happened, and as tantalizing as the thought of a talented Falcao shining in a Reds uniform was, the truth is that things simply didn’t pan out.
Age Is Becoming A Factor
The first and most important factor to look at when evaluating Falcao is the fact that he is already 29 and that means his best years are likely already behind him. While he represented an excellent option as a short-term addition that helped boost United’s scoring power up front, it seems as though he is already exiting the prime of his career and he is likely to decline from this point forward. There have been rumors that Falcao has already had fitness issues during his time at Old Trafford and, though he claims to be healthy, his production says otherwise. That’s only another sign that United would be better off moving in a different direction.
Falcao Has Failed To Stay Healthy
The fitness issues that Falcao has dealt with could have something to do with the fact that he just missed time after suffering an ACL injury with Monaco that forced him to miss the World Cup. A lingering calf injury also forced him to miss time for United and he has been held to just 13 Premier League appearances. It was already suggested by van Gaal that the team didn’t buy Falcao in the first place because of the initial injury and the fact that he hasn’t been able to stay healthy should be a major warning sign for United.
Hasn’t Adapted To Manager Louis Van Gaal
Even when healthy, it’s hard to see Falcao as a strong fit with the Reds moving forward as he has struggled to adapt to van Gaal’s style. United’s manager expects his forwards to be able to pause with the ball and deliver it to attacking midfielders on the wings as well as score goals, but he doesn’t have the same touch as the other strikers already on the roster. While he is a strong finisher when healthy and fit, Falcao isn’t the complete package that van Gaal wants in his striker core and that’s another reason why United shouldn’t buy him permanently.
A Permanent Contract Is Simply Not A Smart Investment
The fact that Falcao has struggled to produce on the pitch – even when healthy – is another warning sign that United cannot afford to invest in him financially. Falcao will still expect to be paid like a superstar, even though he hasn’t produced at that level this year and is unlikely to do so in the future. Locking him up this year would cut in to the money that the Reds have available to sign other players, which is truly where their money would be better spent. Factor in that 19-year-old James Wilson has already been preferred to Falcao in the starting lineup at times this year and the level of investment United has made in his long-term future, and it makes a lot more sense for the Reds to let Falcao walk away and use the money they would have spent to sign him permanently on something more important.
