Manchester United have had a tough week on and off the pitch as the bubble has burst with their first defeat in 10 and questions have been asked about Louis van Gaal’s selection policy.
The 3-5-2 formation has been brought into question, as has the Dutchman’s decision to leave the highly expensive Radamel Falcao out of the entire Manchester United squad for the Southampton game last weekend.
But this is a man who is accustomed to this sort of pressure and he wasn’t prepared to discuss such things with the media. He was particularly blunt when asked questions about Radamel Falcao. When asked how the player responded to being dropped LvG said:
It’s not for the media. It’s between the player and his manager I’m sorry
And, when a more general question about the player was asked LvG said:
He has to prove himself.
If a player cost £95m or £5,000 it’s not any different for me
You have to prove yourself
A player of £95m has to prove himself also
And that was that. We like the philosophy and a less substantial personality than Louis van Gaal might show favouritism towards the high-profile players.
But Falcao does need to improve. The big question is whether he’ll get the chance to do so because we think he needs a run of games to really get into the groove for Manchester United. If the manager gives him 5 to 10 games up top on his own, we think that he will flourish.
Falcao can still be the present and future of Manchester United.
