After Radamel Falcao was found absent during Manchester United's 1-0 victory over Newcastle on March 4, people began to question his status in the future.
Independent reported that there are talks claiming that Old Trafford officials already opted not to sign Falcao permanently at the end of the season, although his loan contract includes a clause allowing them to keep him for £43.2 million.
The Guardian had a different report, saying that officials have not yet made a decision and will hold their choices until May 2015. Falcao was loaned by Monaco to Manchester United until the end of the season. Louis van Gaal, manager of Manchester United, clearly stated that he is looking for a great striker for the club.
Daily Mail said that Ray Wilkins, a former player at Manchester United, believes that Falcao has not been an asset to Old Trafford that could have established him as a permanent player at the club. According to Wilkins, Falcao has deteriorated much in the past several months. Monaco spent a lot to acquire the 29-year-old from Atletico Madrid. Back in 2012, Falcao was a potent scorer.
Wilkins said to TalkSport, "Falcao has been struggling for goals. He hasn't shown any type of form that we expected when he arrived at Manchester United."
Wilkins continued, "His form has been very poor in fact, we haven't seen anything like the player who destroyed Chelsea with Atletico Madrid a few years ago. They have already paid a huge loan fee and his wages are extremely expensive. To take him on would require a big fee. I would think they will look elsewhere."
Falcao is currently a disappointment at United, based on the same report by Daily Mail. In 20 appearances, he only managed four goals. After his latest string of poor plays, he was kept off the field by van Gaal. Even when United was trying so hard to score a goal against Newcastle on Wednesday night, the general manager still preferred leaving Falcao out.
Mirror reported that there are five players who can possibly replace Falcao if he continues his poor performance. Included in the exclusive list are Alexandre Lacazette of Lyon, Mauro Icardi of Inter Milan, Memphis Depay of PSV, Carlos Bacca of Sevilla and Javier Hernandez of Manchester United who is currently in free agency.
United might not need to look far if they see the potential of Hernandez. The club might find investing £30 on Hernandez more worthwhile than what Falcao is valued at.
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