Diego Maradona Comments on Louis Van Gaal's Treatment of Radamel Falcao

Diego Maradona has never been shy about voicing his opinion in the past, and when it comes to Manchester United's handling of Radamel Falcao, the former World Cup winner has some choice words for Red Devils manager Louis van Gaal.

During a press conference in Bogota, Colombia, for a charity match, Maradona was asked about Van Gaal's handling of Falcao since the Colombian forward's arrival at Old Trafford.

"Van Gaal is not a nice guy," Maradona responded, per ESPN FC. "Van Gaal is closer to the devil than anything."

The Argentine star went on to say that with a healthy Falcao, Colombia could've won the 2014 World Cup, per Colombian football journalist Carl Worswick:

Once considered among the best finishers in the world, Falcao has struggled mightily to earn a regular starting place at Manchester United. He has made only 12 starts with eight sub appearances in the Premier League. He has also started in three FA Cup games.

In those 23 combined appearances, Falcao has scored four goals and assisted on four more. It's certainly a far cry from his days at Atletico Madrid and Porto, where he scored a combined 93 goals in 119 domestic league matches, per Transfermarkt.

It's doubtful that Maradona's comments will do anything to either help or hinder Falcao's standing in the United pecking order. Van Gaal is regarded as a master tactician who doesn't let emotions cloud his judgment.

Since Falcao only joined the Red Devils on a season-long loan, though, it seems more and more likely that his future with the club won't extend beyond the end of the 2014/15 campaign.