[Sammyjunn]

Tbh I don't think he was on his way to being more than a poacher, or at least not good at that role, though I agree he did improve. I always felt that when we asked him to do that he looked ill-at-ease with it. Technically he just didn't look suited.

Well last season, you could see him dropping in more often, trying to influence our play, trying to improve his link and hold up play. I dont think he'll become top class anymore, unless he just resets and goes to a club like Spurs/Everton/Leverkusen etc, but during the time when he was hot in form, still young and learning, gradually he could become a very good striker. O well, hasnt happened and we'll never know.

 

[Sam]

Had a proper mixed bag today. One minute he was holding the ball up beautifully, holding off 3 defenders and linking up really nicely. Displaying ridiculous strength in the process. The next he was showing a first touch that Emile Heskey would be proud of. Has he always been like this? So up and down?...He's also really quite slow.

His goal was fantastically taken, but he's still not looking like a top top striker to me.

 

[Sultan]

I think he's playing from memory. The great movement, and strikers instinct are still evident. However, he seems sluggish when running, and has not yet gained that devastating quickness of feet which made him a great striker.

He seemed to be playing a lot better today than RvP, and was surprised he got substituted.

 

[Acole9]

Not a great performance by any means but he was our best player today. He really tried hard to get into positions where he could cause Stoke's defenders problems, unfortunately he was the only one doing this. It was disappointing to see him go off but I'm sure van Gaal had his reasons behind this decision.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Seeing as he's still feeling his way back to match fitness it definitely made sense to sub him off, after three games in quick succession.

 

[Wade3]

Eh? He was our best forward today. Shouldn't have been substituted.

That doesn't mean much on a day most of our squad was flat out terrible and we had a poor performance overall. He wasn't clearly better than RVP either, who was also making some good runs, so I wouldn't disagree with his substitution. This is all pointless though. If we're to buy him, he has to show, and more than once, that he's a top class striker and he once again hasn't done that today. I don't wanna spend a ton of money on a player who won't end up being worth it.

 

[Spoony]

Seeing as he's still feeling his way back to match fitness it definitely made sense to sub him off, after three games in quick succession.

What doesn't make sense is him playing deeper than Van Persie.

 

[antsmithmk]

He doesn't even look like he can walk. Watch his slow walk. I am sure he limps!

 

[DarkXaero]

A lot of people are comparing him to Hernandez, but Chicharito usually never got this involved in a game like Falcao does. Chicharito also had nowhere near the physical strength that Falcao has displayed, or the great link up passes that Falcao is able to make time to time. From what I remember, Chicharito especially in his last couple seasons was criticized a lot for being anonymous in games, and not contributing enough in the build up. I don't see that at all with Falcao. Falcao wants to get on the ball as much as possible, and often drops deep to get touches. He has been a lot more involved than RVP lately.

His touch has been extremely inconsistent but he was still doing more good out there today than bad. He plays with a lot of aggression and determination.

 

[2mufc0]

Clearly not 100% yet but still scoring goals, yet still getting criticised.

 

[Dumbat12]

He is great, but he should really try to stay on his feet. Everytime he got the ball, he fell. I know it's Stoke and they practice wrestling, but it's not the first time.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

What doesn't make sense is him playing deeper than Van Persie.

There's a lot of things not making sense about the players bought in over the summer.

 

[bm_5]

In a few matches, I wonder what Falcao with better fitness can do alongside Van Persie when Robin comes back. Not having both him and Di Maria available the last couple of games has really been hurting us.

 

[Oo0AahCantona]

There's a lot of things not making sense about the players bought in over the summer.

a lot of love for this post. completely agree.

 

[Utd7]

It usually takes about a year of recovery from a torn ACL. I know its two different sports but Darrell Revis tore his in October of 2012, came back for the following NFL season in September and he just didn't look the same. Fast forward to 2014 and he's the best cornerback in the NFL again. My expectation is that next season, Falco will be the player from his Porto, Atletico days. He'll score 30+ goals next season with all competitions. We should invest IMO.

 

[Ekeke]

It usually takes about a year of recovery from a torn ACL. I know its two different sports but Darrell Revis tore his in October of 2012, came back for the following NFL season in September and he just didn't look the same. Fast forward to 2014 and he's the best cornerback in the NFL again. My expectation is that next season, Falco will be the player from his Porto, Atletico days. He'll score 30+ goals next season with all competitions. We should invest IMO.

Whats a 25 goal striker at 29 worth? The answer is not £44 million. We paid half of that for Van Persie and he came to us as the best player in the league in his best ever form and clear of his injury troubles

Took his goal well today and looked a bit better on the ball.

 

[Utd7]

Whats a 25 goal striker at 29 worth? The answer is not £44 million. We paid half of that for Van Persie and he came to us as the best player in the league in his best ever form and clear of his injury troubles

Took his goal well today and looked a bit better on the ball.

I'm not thrilled with the price of fee but we should still do it. Why? What other option would we have for the No.9 role next season? RVP will be 32 next season. We can't solely rely on him or rapid development of Wilson. 25 goal strikers don't exactly grow on trees. They're a wanted commodity hence the price.

 

[Pexbo]

Whats a 25 goal striker at 29 worth? The answer is not £44 million. We paid half of that for Van Persie and he came to us as the best player in the league in his best ever form and clear of his injury troubles

Took his goal well today and looked a bit better on the ball.

Good job the fee looks like it's going to be €40m (£31m) then.

 

[Striker10]

I don't think the fee is a big deal. We're not just buying stats. We'd be buying a player that other great players want to play with. It's a global game and we have to be as attractive as possible with how the games gone. Providing we can still do the business we need to then he's a good option providing he keeps fit and keeps scoring. The supporters like him, he seems happy here and I think with luck we'll see a better final third player with the right transfer dealings in the summer.

We need better quality through the spine of the team and better width. Yes he'd be expensive (providing we didn't try to renegotiate the price) but if we want to challenge Madrid, we have to push aside reason. They over paid for Bale but again who gives a shit? It's not the price you pay it's what they do on the pitch and off it. A season on who really thinks about the price they paid? Madrid don't. We got 80 Million for Ronaldo and 25 for Becks. Mugs.

If we can afford it, if he keeps fit and scores goals and it doesn't interfere with other transfer dealings just do the deal.

 

[Gannicus]

We will have to choose between Falcao and RvP, the audition of which will continue over the next few months.

 

[JON.B]

Unless he regains the kind of form that he's shown in the past over the next few months I honestly don't see the sense in spending out big money for him in the hope that he will eventually rediscover it, the money could be better spent elsewhere.

 

[Devil may care]

We will have to choose between Falcao and RvP, the audition of which will continue over the next few months.

I agree, we have to go with one or the other as playing them both plus Rooney and Mata leaves us very predictable and short on pace.

 

[Americano]

Unless he regains the kind of form that he's shown in the past over the next few months I honestly don't see the sense in spending out big money for him in the hope that he will eventually rediscover it, the money could be better spent elsewhere.

Life will go on if he does not stay here, but it seems like he wants to play here and fight for his place. Those are important traits, and in recent years we've struggled to attract top tier talent.

 

[sglowrider]

Correct me if i am wrong but didnt Stam suffer the same injury and it took him a couple of seasons to get back to his best including his burst of speed? Thats when Fergie regretted selling him. He thought it was good value for some one he had thought was on the decline.

 

[izec]

Falcao is always up for a battle. surprised me. Hopefully he can regain his form and fitness, he isnt the old one yet. He slips often and his running is a bit awkward.
but i am optimistic that till the end of the season he will be worth buying permanently.

 

[Ekeke]

I'm not thrilled with the price of fee but we should still do it. Why? What other option would we have for the No.9 role next season? RVP will be 32 next season. We can't solely rely on him or rapid development of Wilson. 25 goal strikers don't exactly grow on trees. They're a wanted commodity hence the price.

We could and clearly should be looking at all the other forwards out there and compiling a list of players who are far, far, far better value for money than Falcao - thats if we didnt already put the go ahead on signing him when we first did the loan deal. Of course there are plenty of strikers who we could get for that money and would be better for us than Falcao can be, due to his age.

Examples? Lacazette would suit playing with the players we have in forward areas better and cost half as much. He's young has a very good scoring record and would add the much needed pace to our forward line. Then there's for example Benzema, we could entice Madrid for that money and he's in better form and less fitness concerns. Sanchez was available in the summer and for that amount of money we could clearly have got him instead, his speed and versatility would have suited us more - obviously he's not an option anymore, but he was available in the summer so who knows who is available next summer? He was good at Barcelona last season and they let him go. Likewise Di Maria at Madrid, the money made it happen and £44 million is a huge amount. Paco Alcacer at Valencia could obviously be taken and for less than that price, he's a young man who will score lots of goals for club and country and can play his teammates in too. And this is all talking about forwards, in reality we have Van Persie still doing the business and Rooney can yet have his best seasons as a striker if he actually plays there. We could instead buy a top midfielder if we aren't happy with Ander playing Rooney's midfield role, then putting Rooney up front. And so on.

The options are many and almost all of them make more sense than signing Falcao, who may yet get back to his best but even if he does it'll be for a short time and for an astronomical fee.

Personally the only deal I'd have an interest in is if A) Before the end of the season he goes on a high scoring run for 10 games or so showing he's back at his best for a short time (which I'm hopeful he'll do whether we sign him or not) and then B) At the end of the season we say "No, that figure is far too high. Take him back Monaco and call us when you're willing to talk realistic numbers for a 29 year old" and they get back to us with a figure in the ballpark region of what we paid for RVP. If that call doesn't come and he goes off to a 2nd tier team in Spain (Valencia, Sevilla, etc) or something then so be it

 

[khoazany]

I'm not thrilled with the price of fee but we should still do it. Why? What other option would we have for the No.9 role next season? RVP will be 32 next season. We can't solely rely on him or rapid development of Wilson. 25 goal strikers don't exactly grow on trees. They're a wanted commodity hence the price.

Precisely.I have no problem with the fee.Plus Falcao is a more much famous name than the likes of Lacazette so there's huge marketing potential as well.

 

[ricky-romeo]

surprised that he was withdrawn as he was much better than our other attackers and we were not winning too.

lack of quality from wide areas is obviously why we are not getting the best out of falcao. just look at his goals for porto and atletico where most of his goals came from quality crosses into the box, especially from open play, where falcao just used his movements to great effect.

 

[ravi2]

Correct me if i am wrong but didnt Stam suffer the same injury and it took him a couple of seasons to get back to his best including his burst of speed? Thats when Fergie regretted selling him. He thought it was good value for some one he had thought was on the decline.

SAF sold stam because he wrote some off stuff in his autobiography. It was not performance related.
SAF says he regrets selling stam to this day.

 

[POF]

surprised that he was withdrawn as he was much better than our other attackers and we were not winning too.

lack of quality from wide areas is obviously why we are not getting the best out of falcao. just look at his goals for porto and atletico where most of his goals came from quality crosses into the box, especially from open play, where falcao just used his movements to great effect.

I really believe the first 2 substitutions were pre-planned. Van Gaal even mentioned that the Shaw one was planned (if United were winning it would probably have been Rafael rather than Adnan for Shaw). The biggest frustration just now is that United's team selection and substitutes are more based on getting 11 fit players on the pitch rather than making appropriate tactical changes.

 

[NoPace]

I like him, but I don't see the case for spending 45 (and huge wages on him) instead of just bringing Chicharito back, especially with Rooney and Mata around. Falcao is a better player, but Hernandez is 2.5 years younger and healthier.

Our attack is just so slow and unvaried with him and RVP up top. Has to be one or the other, except against shit teams at home we are just trying to outscore.

 

[NoPace]

I'm not thrilled with the price of fee but we should still do it. Why? What other option would we have for the No.9 role next season? RVP will be 32 next season. We can't solely rely on him or rapid development of Wilson. 25 goal strikers don't exactly grow on trees. They're a wanted commodity hence the price.

Chicharito scores at the rate of a 25 goal striker. Not technically growing on a tree, but graspable...

 

[Pexbo]

Chicharito scores at the rate of a 25 goal striker. Not technically growing on a tree, but graspable...

A 25 goal a season striker who scored 59 goals in 4 seasons with us and only hit 20 goals once?

 

[MDFC Manager]

A 25 goal a season striker who scored 59 goals in 4 seasons with us and only hit 20 goals once?

Besides not being the speed merchant anymore either.

On Falcao, he's getting fitter, but clearly not there yet. His movement is still crisp. The rest will come with more match fitness.

 

[Ixion]

Hernandez was really terrible towards the end of his spell here. Didn't look like he could be bothered anymore, Falcao at least you can tell is giving his all. If we do sign him permanently that might relieve some of the pressure on Falcao so he can enjoy his football a little more.

 

[TwoSheds]

Surprised at people saying he was good and shouldn't have been subbed. He had some very nice moments but he also lost possession an awful lot and was blowing hard at 60 minutes.

 

[Member 39557]

Surprised at people saying he was good and shouldn't have been subbed. He had some very nice moments but he also lost possession an awful lot and was blowing hard at 60 minutes.

For me, his first touch was pretty awful for the first 20 minutes or so. After that he seemed to grow into the game and I thought we looked poorer when he left the pitch.

Personally, I would have taken off Mata for Herrera.

 

[Litch]

7 starts, 3 goals 3 assists. Not exactly a terrible return.

Nah, that's no way near good enough for some on here. Even if he scored a goal a game, people would still find something to moan about......

 

[IwatUwat]

Had a few starts now, probably still finding his feet in the prem alongside returning to fitness. Stats are pretty good. After a few games have people been impressed, underwhelmed or just okay.

New player in the prem, potentially I feel he's done okay, I think he still needs to have the one big game, where he completely dominates the opposition etc etc. Looks lively at times though and in a new league that's not always the case with big name strikers.

 

[Litch]

Whats a 25 goal striker at 29 worth? The answer is not £44 million. We paid half of that for Van Persie and he came to us as the best player in the league in his best ever form and clear of his injury troubles

Took his goal well today and looked a bit better on the ball.

The worlds turned a few times since RVP, and contractually a completely different situation. Im don't give a toss what we pay for him cause transfers turned into monopoly money a long time ago and I'm equally not writing the cheque. This is no one season wonder type of player. He's (or was) arguable the best striker in the world for many a season. The reason he's here is purely timing and circumstance. If we are patient and support him to find his best form, maybe we might just have signed a player that's worth more than 44m even at 29. These players over the last few years rarely become available. It's a gamble I'm prepared to take cause the potential outcome is worth it.