Is Radamel Falcao, at £43 Million, Worth All the Trouble on a Permanent Basis?

When a football club gets the chance to sign a truly iconic player, it is always a pivotal moment in any fan's support and devotion.

The thought of seeing a world-class talent in the colours of the team you love—with a stadium packed full, singing the name of the superstar—is a genuine moment of wonderment.

Radamel Falcao's arrival at Manchester United in the summer was both a beautiful surprise and heart-stopping event.

El Tigre has been the primary striker in world football for an extended period, and to see him represent the Red Devils is an honour for all United fans.

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But as we know, things have not gone well. Falcao has not been an unmitigated disaster—but when you are talking about a transfer fee in excess of £40 million, you want to be sure of exactly what you are getting for such a large cost.

Jason Burt of The Telegraph recently wrote that Louis van Gaal will look to renegotiate Falcao's astronomical deal should he decide to keep the Colombian superstar, but the negativity surrounding his form, and lack of goals, means he already has one foot out of the Old Trafford door—and he has only just arrived.

Falcao's four goals in 16 Premier League appearances, per WhoScored, is not the kind of record you would expect from a legendary marksman of such undeniable standing. But it poses the question: Is this the player's fault, or the manager's?

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Blame is a dangerous game to play when assessing anyone at United at present, with no player excelling under LvG's rigid tactics.

Angel Di Maria is a good example in this case. Here is a player who last year provided the ammunition for Real Madrid to win La Decima, their 10th Champions League trophy, yet in Van Gaal's system, he looks limp and restricted.

There is also a knock-on effect at play, here. If Di Maria was at his creative best, along with Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie, in a system that demanded attacking football, you would entirely expect Falcao to be doing better than he currently is.

This is not to say the striker has not had chances to score. But when you are playing in a team that looks scared to play a forward pass, it makes life intolerable for goalscorers.

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Van Gaal is historically a great coach, and his record is second to none, but he is setting his United team up to "not fail" as opposed to playing to their most lethal optimum.

And this measure damages Falcao, as well as RvP and James Wilson, with Rooney not even able to get in the forward line, now playing miraculously as a defensive midfielder without a shred of flair or creativity.

So if the Dutch coach wishes to pursue these tactics—and there has been no evidence to suggest the contrary—then Falcao is most certainly not worth the £43 million outlay.

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However, Falcao is the scapegoat of this Manchester United team. He is a player who needs to be fed to perform to an optimum, and even with a stellar cast of attacking talent in the squad, the tactics do not allow this.

Like any coach, LvG has been given his orders from the board, and the objective is to be in the top four at the end of the campaign, by any means necessary. 

If this means robbing United fans of one of the greatest goalscoring talents in modern history, then the manager will not think twice in making this so.

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The current playing staff of this United team should be doing much better than they are. If the game was purely a science, with statistics dictating your "play-style," no one would dream of seeing a Falcao or Di Maria performing at the Theatre of Dreams, unless it was for the opposition. 

But this is a club built on the foundations of attacking football and creating drama of the highest level. The team's current brand of football means they will be caught out, sooner or later, as the chasing pack dramatically improve their results.

Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur are now gaining strength with every passing week, with Arsenal looking sharp with the returning Mesut Ozil and Theo Walcott.

It may already be too late for Falcao at Manchester United—for the writing is on the wall—but if Van Gaal does not improve the performance value of his current squad, the Glazers will not hesitate to make the second managerial sacking of their ownership if the Red Devils finish fifth—or below.