Towards the very end of the summer transfer deadline day, Manchester United announced that they had signed Colombian Striker Radamel Falcao on a one year loan deal from Monaco, with the option to buy. The news sent United fans delirious with unbound joy. Ed Woodward, the vice CEO of the club, had pulled a rabbit out of the hat. The club supporters were already salivating at the prospect of seeing “El Tigre” and Angel Di Maria ply their trade on the same hallowed turf of Old Trafford. The good times were returning and everything looked set for a perfect season. The Columbian, 28 had a scoring record of 63 goals in 88 games since 2011/12 prior to his loan deal. That return of 0.72 goals-game was bettered by only Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. His scoring record was up there with Europe’s elite.
Fast forward to January 2015 and it looks like the season hasn’t panned out entirely according to the script. The “Tiger” United fans were hoping to see roar at the peak of his powers and prowess; he has had an underwhelming season so far, to say the least. Plagued by injuries and hardly hitting any serious goal-hitting form, Radamel Falcao has just scored 3 goals in 13 appearances for the club. Certainly not the numbers that will tempt either Louis Van Gaal or the top echelons of club management to loosen their purse strings for a permanent deal, given the £43m quoted. The fan opinion seems to be split with some wanting him to be signed permanently while others don’t.
So should United really take a £43 million gamble by signing him permanently? Or should they forfeit the option of purchasing him at the end of the season? Well, the answer is neither a simple one nor decisive right now. Obviously a lot will depend on how he performs in the next 4 months of the season. However the dampening outings and average goal return so far has added to the pressure on the player to justify his place in the team for a permanent deal. A fully fit and motivated Falcao is still as good a striker as any one else in the world, mind. In his pomp, during the days of Atletico, Falcao made the world stand up on their feet, take notice and applaud. A ‘firing on all cylinders’ Falcao is a sight to behold and amongst the most lethal forwards that the modern game has witnessed. However, what his performances at United have showed, what fans have seen so far is a mere shadow of that. Given the price, there may be an argument for many cheaper alternatives, if Falcao still can’t find his goal-scoring boots again.
Currently Falcao appears to lack that final killer touch, the one attribute that made him such a renowned name in the footballing circles across the globe. He is battling hard, working his socks off and doing everything that a forward must do except the most crucial part: scoring goals. Both some fans and journalists hold opinions that it’s only a matter of time before Falcao starts banging goals for fun again. But is that “only a matter of time” arriving before the arrival of season end? If it doesn’t then Falcao may well packs his bags off for the comparatively warmer climes of Monaco. An ACL injury can cause real damage to the player on a long-term basis, and United really aren’t in a position to take such costly risks.
Personally, I would love him to succeed at United but on current evidence he hasn’t done enough unfortunately. But, as with the rest of United fan-base, I am eagerly awaiting to see him prove his critics wrong in the coming weeks. EL TIGRE it’s show time! But time is running out, so he will have to act fast…
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