Radamel Falcao: What Man Utd Fans Can Take from His Under-21 Appearance

It will have been a pleasant surprise for the Manchester United fans who turned up at Old Trafford on Tuesday night to see Radamel Falcao named in the under-21 side to play Tottenham.

Chances to see one of the most famous players, a genuine superstar, for free don't come around very often. But there was also something sad about watching Falcao run around in front of a sparse crowd, chasing after teenagers.

His appearances for the stiffs this week can be dressed up however you want. A chance for him to get some match practice, perhaps. Maybe even an opportunity to rediscover that old form against an inexperienced defence. 

But the harsh truth is that it represented the low point of his United career so far. 

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The last few weeks have been uncomfortable. Falcao was not picked to start games against Swansea, Newcastle and Arsenal, and despite United needing a goal in each game, Falcao was left on the bench in all of them.

Manager Louis van Gaal doesn't trust Falcao to get him a goal. At least that's what the evidence suggests. United are facing a daunting run-in with games against Tottenham, Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal. 

And as it stands, Falcao will be lucky to make the bench for those games, let alone the starting XI. It seems, at the moment, that it's a case of when rather than if he'll be released.

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Falcao can, at least, take heart from the knowledge that he is still in Van Gaal's thoughts. He's played much more in the last two months that Juan Mata. But Mata wasn't in the under-21 squad this week with Falcao, Rafael and Victor Valdes chosen as the three overage players.

Van Gaal will know that it's in his interests for Falcao to find some kind of form before the end of the season. Robin van Persie is still struggling with an ankle injury, and James Wilson is very inexperienced. Falcao might have run out of time to prove he's worth the £43.2 million Monaco want to make his transfer permanent. 

But he has still scored some important goals this season. His four goals—the winner against Everton, equalisers at Aston Villa and Stoke and the second of three against Leicester—have won eight points this season.

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The odd goal here and there over the course of the next 10 games could, conceivably, get United into the top four and back into the Champions League. 

It will have been disheartening for Falcao to trot out with the reserves this week. He will have had higher hopes for his spell at Old Trafford. But his appearance at least means there is still a chance he can end his time at United on a high. 

He won't reach 20 or 30 goals this season, the numbers he was used to at Porto and Atletico Madrid. But one against Chelsea and Manchester City would do.