Radamel Falcao Has Work to Do to Convince Man Utd to Make Loan Move Permanent

Louis van Gaal doesn't have any sentiment. If he did, academy graduates Tom Cleverley and Danny Welbeck would still be at Old Trafford and fan favourite Javier Hernandez wouldn't have been shipped off to Real Madrid.

The Dutchman's job at Manchester United isn't to keep everyone happy. It's to make tough decisions to build a squad capable of winning the Premier League and the Champions League. To get them back to where they were before Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement.

The United fans have already taken to Radamel Falcao just a few months after his loan move from Monaco. The Colombian striker has said all the right things since moving to United, about how he dreamt of playing at Old Trafford and his desire to "make history" at the club.

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In a recent interview with James Robson of the Manchester Evening News, he said how much he was enjoying life in Manchester and praised the way the fans sing his name during games.

In turn, the supporters don't need much of a reason to start a chorus of "lo, lo, lo, lo Radamel Falcao"—a good touch or energetic sprint will do.

But none of that will mean anything to Van Gaal when it comes time for him to decide whether or not to keep the former Atletico Madrid man beyond the end of the season.

It will be a decision based purely on footballing reasons, and not whether he's a nice guy or has a good song. And because of that, Falcao faces a crucial few months if he hopes to convince United to make his loan deal permanent.

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He's scored three goals in 13 games so far. But it's only recently he's started to look like the player who flourished in Portugal and Spain.

It's taken him time to rediscover his sharpness after recovering from the knee injury that ruled him out of the World Cup. The muscle injury he picked up in October didn't help.

United will have to spend a lot of money in the summer if they want to keep the 28-year-old. But he hasn't yet shown he's worth it. With Robin van Persie entering the final stages of his career and Wayne Rooney being used in midfield, Van Gaal will need a striker in the summer. Falcao has got the second half of the season to show it should be him.

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His first task is to stay fit, and he should be buoyed by his workload over Christmas and New Year after starting four games in nine days.

Next, he has to score goals. And not just any goals. Important goals, like the ones has got against Everton, Aston Villa and Stoke. 

Only that will convince Van Gaal to sign Falcao when his loan deal ends. To the United manager, nothing else matters.