Radamel Falcao's Injury Problems Are Holding Manchester United Back

You can't buy goals. If you could, football would be a lot easier and Sheikh Mansour wouldn't have room on his mantelpiece for all the golden boots.

But signing Radamel Falcao is about as close to buying goals as you can get. In a little more thn 300 senior games, he's scored more than 200 goals. He's done it in Argentina, Portugal, Spain and France. 

He arrived at Manchester United on deadline day with the expectation he would do it in the Premier League, as well. But, so far, his body hasn't given him the chance to prove it. 

Jon Super/Associated Press

He won't play against Arsenal this weekend. He hasn't played any part in the last three games. In quotes carried by the Manchester Evening News, Falcao said he's hopeful he'll shake off his calf injury soon and revealed his frustration at reports he's still struggling with the knee injury that kept him out of the World Cup:

"

I am getting better, I feel well and I hope to come back to the pitch soon.

It is disappointing that I can’t play but I have to be calm and recover because that is important to help the team when I return to the games.

It is a bit frustrating. Well, it is more than frustrating actually and it detracts from the credibility of the media that there is so much speculation and that so many falsehoods have been written about it.

I think with an audience of so many millions of people, it is not right. I did take a small injury to my calf, which is something that I need to be careful with, but there are a lot of stories circulating that are pure speculation.

"

Injury hasn't just prevented Falcao from showing he can adapt to English football, it's also robbed Louis van Gaal of his most devastating weapon. Goals.

The Dutchman's squad isn't balanced. Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic haven't been properly replaced. He's still short of a box-to-box midfielder, too.

Jon Super/Associated Press

But what the United squad does boast is goals. Or it should do. With Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney, Angel Di Maria, Juan Mata and Falcao, United have some of the best attacking players in the world. It's at the back where they've got problems.

Liverpool proved last season that defensive frailty doesn't necessarily hold a team back as long they score enough goals to compensate for it. Liverpool had a worse defensive record than Crystal Palace last season but scored 101 goals and came within an ill-timed slip of winning the title.

United can still finish in the top four with gaping holes in their defence as long as Rooney, Van Persie, Mata, Di Maria and Falcao do their bit to cover the cracks.

Jon Super/Associated Press

But Falcao hasn't had the chance to pull his weight. And United aren't scoring the goals to make the problems at the back feel insignificant. 

Van Gaal will know his squad isn't balanced. But he will also know the goals can solve most things. It was enough for Liverpool last season.

And if the Dutchman's master plan, for this season at least, is to blast his way into the top four, then he'll need Falcao back sooner rather than later.