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United paying the price for Falcao’s hurried comeback

It appears nonsensical now, as Radamel Falcao battles for form and fitness at Manchester United, but the Colombian forward harboured genuine hopes of appearing at the World Cup this year, only five months after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee while playing in Monaco’s French Cup tie against Monts d’Or Azergues Foot on Jan 22.

Radamel Falcao has made only 
five appearances for United since his move and scored one goal. Photo: Getty Images

Radamel Falcao has made only
five appearances for United since his move and scored one goal. Photo: Getty Images

It appears nonsensical now, as Radamel Falcao battles for form and fitness at Manchester United, but the Colombian forward harboured genuine hopes of appearing at the World Cup this year, only five months after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee while playing in Monaco’s French Cup tie against Monts d’Or Azergues Foot on Jan 22.

Three days after performing surgery on Falcao, surgeon Jose Noronha raised the prospect of a swift return in time for Brazil, saying the operation “went well and the light at the end of the tunnel isn’t small”.

Colombia coach Jose Pekerman even included Falcao in his provisional 30-man World Cup squad before reluctantly cutting the country’s most iconic player from his final 23-man selection on June 9.

Contrast Falcao’s unwinnable race against time with the road to recovery taken by Arsenal winger Theo Walcott, who suffered the same injury as the United striker on Jan 4.

Walcott only returned to action at the weekend, with a 10-minute substitute appearance for Arsenal against Burnley at the Emirates. Arsene Wenger, who regards the 25-year-old as being some distance from full fitness, is determined to ease him back into action gently.

Falcao has not been afford the luxury of similar patience, however, and the player and United are both losing out as a result.

With Monaco’s finances dictating that Falcao’s £335,000-a-week (S$686,000) wages had to be offloaded this summer, only 12 months after his £53 million arrival from Atletico Madrid, the forward found himself back in action at the beginning of August, when he played and scored against Arsenal in the Emirates Cup in London.

His move to United followed at the end of the month, but to date, Falcao has made only five appearances — three starts and two from the bench — and scored one goal.

He has missed the last two games with a calf injury and will not be fit to face Crystal Palace at Old Trafford tonight (Singapore time).

Three months into his loan move, which is costing United a £6 million loan fee and £265,000 a week in wages, Falcao is beginning to resemble an expensive gamble, particularly with Danny Welbeck giving Arsenal plenty of value for money following his £16 million arrival from Manchester.

United have already agreed on a fee with Monaco and personal terms with Falcao over a permanent move to Old Trafford next summer, but the question now is how long it will take him to return to his best — if, indeed, he can.

Hindsight suggests he was rushed back far too early by Monaco, especially when his rehabilitation period is measured against Walcott’s. The risk every player faces when returning from a long-term injury are the minor setbacks, which are beginning to afflict Falcao.

He is suffering from a Catch-22 situation. If his appearances are sporadic, he will take longer to rediscover form and fitness, yet if he pushes his body beyond what it is currently capable of, he will sustain new injuries.

The 28-year-old is a popular figure within the dressing room at United, with club staff also remarking on how surprisingly humble and amenable the player is despite his status as a global superstar. Falcao’s down-to-earth personality has proven disarming, as has his determination to overcome his fitness problems.

There is hope that, by missing Palace’s visit this weekend, Falcao will sit out Colombia’s friendly against the United States at Craven Cottage next Friday and also the trip to Ljubljana to face Slovenia four days later, to fine-tune his fitness at United’s Aon Training Centre.

Louis van Gaal remains convinced Falcao will succeed at United and become a prolific goalscorer in the Premier League, but the gamble has yet to pay off.

United are prepared to be patient, though, simply because they believe the rewards could be spectacular if Falcao regains the form that made him the most sought-after forward in world football prior to his injury. THE DAILY TELEGRAPH

Mark Ogden is a football correspondent with The Daily Telegraph.

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