Falcao set to start for Colombia against Brazil as Manchester United eyes turn to Miami

show ad

Monaco's owner has £41.5m tax bill and is going through history's biggest divorce... So, why did they flog Falcao and James?
Van Gaal gets lucky: Manchester United's summer target Vidal breaks down with another knee injury on international duty
Raging Roy: England boss blasts critics, saying it's 'f****** b*******' feeble England only had two shots on goal
Not being able to say goodbye to the fans is a huge regret... Lampard reveals pain over Chelsea exit
Comeback king Federer into semis: Swiss star comes from two sets down to beat Monfils and set up Cilic clash
Valdes on his way to Liverpool as they tie up free swoop for Barcelona keeper to rival first-choice Mignolet
Hamilton and Rosberg currently enjoying truce, but there will be no peace for the Mercedes drivers
That's why Chelsea paid £10.5m for Remy! New boy skips off bench to hit winner as France see off Spain... and team-mate Costa
Kompany plays 90 minutes in Belgium's friendly win over Australia despite injury fears for Man City talisman
Brook in hospital after being stabbed in the leg whilst on holiday in Tenerife
Rojo to fly to Lisbon to collect his work visa, allowing Argentine defender to make United debut against QPR
Henry is my idol and I'll look up to him in bid to make my own stamp at Arsenal, reveals £16m Welbeck
United still have more homegrown players than City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool despite £125m arrivals
Dawning of a new era with Neymar to become one of Brazil's youngest-ever captains in Colombia friendly
50 not out! Zlatan tops Sweden's all-time scoring chart after brace against Estonia
Immobile and De Rossi give Conte victory in first match in charge... but Hiddink has much to ponder after Martins Indi is sent off
England must stay at Wembley and make our ancestral home a fortress
Sterling has been 'outstanding' for England, claims team-mate Henderson
Ronaldinho offered contract by Conference side Basingstoke Town (yes, Basingstoke!)
Ferguson hosts Wenger, Mourinho and Co at summit of Europe's top managers... but why wasn't Van Gaal invited along?
All aboard the England express! Hodgson's squad cause Virgin delays with unexpected stop at Watford
McIlroy lets great start slip away as he ends opening round as joint leader in BMW Championship
Cilic reaches US Open semi-final after straight-sets victory over Berdych
Legia Warsaw fined £63,000 after their fans displayed banner criticising UEFA during Europa League play-off

Radamel Falcao to play for Colombia against Brazil on Friday night
Falcao's first game since joining Manchester United on deadline day
The striker has score 172 goals in 200 games since moving to Europe

By Riath Al-Samarrai for MailOnline Follow @@riathalsam

Published: 06:24 EST, 4 September 2014 | Updated: 18:59 EST, 4 September 2014

View
comments

The questions start now, even before Radamel Falcao pulls up a seat at the British consulate in Miami to take the interview necessary for his UK working visa.

Those loose ends need to be tied for the Colombian to earn his wonderful living as a Manchester United player. But then the real examinations start - the test of his reconstructed knee after a terrible injury; the test of his abilities after a season spent between treatment room and the fields of a lesser competition; the test of his commitment within a week of that ‘Hala Madrid’ tweet.

All being well, he will take his significant bag of tricks onto the field for Colombia against Brazil in the Sun Life Stadium in Miami on Friday night.

VIDEO Scroll down for Falcao and Rodriguez practice one-twos in Colombia training

International duty: Falcao is expected to start for Colombia against Brazil in Miami on Friday night

Superstar: Falcao is mobbed by fans on international duty this week with Colombia

Reacquainted: Falcao gets a hug from former Monaco team-mate James Rodriguez during Colombia training

FALCAO IN EUROPE

Porto: 87 games, 72 goals.

Atletico Madrid: 91 games, 87 goals.

Monaco: 22 games, 13 goals.

OVERALL: 200 games, 172 goals.

United have already seen one expensive signing excel in an international friendly this week, Angel Di Maria taking a stride in answering those who feel this £60m signing was a luxury the club could do without. He was magnificent, his outside-of-the-boot assist for Sergio Aguero in Argentina’s 4-2 win over Germany the work of a rare talent. He had two other assists and a goal on Wednesday.

So, over to Falcao, a man who cost £6m to rent from Monaco for a year, whose salary comes to £280,000 a week. The hope at Old Trafford is that the formalities with his visa will enable a debut against QPR on September 14.

At his best, he is a striker who might just make up for the obvious defensive and midfield deficiencies in the United squad. Conceding three doesn’t matter if you score four, and all that. His record in front of goal is brilliant.

Falcao and Rodriguez practice one-twos in Colombia training

Injury lay-off: Falcao missed the World Cup with a cruciate knee ligament injury

At River Plate – 45 goals in 105 games; at Porto – 72 in 87; at Atletico Madrid - 70 in 91; at Monaco 13 in 22. For Colombia he has 20 goals from 51 games.

They are fantastic numbers, those of a wrecking ball in front of goal. They compensate for his slight lack of a wider contribution – he has assisted only 12 goals for team-mates since moving to Europe in 2009, a period in which he has scored 155 in 200 games. So goals will be the main measure of his success at United.

And to do that, his left knee will need to be strong. For all the excitement about the player United have signed, it must be set against a record of only two starts since he tore his anterior cruciate ligament in January. Will he still have that acceleration, that agility to twist and turn before finishing?

Early days: Falcao made his name at River Plate in Argentina before moving to Europe

It is not an ideal backdrop to his first major role at one of the world’s truly elite clubs, even if United have seen far better days. It goes without saying that his record at Atletico, his only spell in a major league, was all the more remarkable because he lacked the support that Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi enjoy. But with a bigger club comes bigger pressures, not least when Falcao is seen as one of the major players responsible for getting United out of the incredible hole they dug.

And how committed is he to that cause? How frustrated is he that he won’t be part of the Real Madrid side defending their Champions League crown, a competition in which Falcao has not appeared since 2010? Five days ago he tweeted it was a ‘dream come true’ to join Real.

His father, Radamel Garcia, explained: ‘The deal with Real Madrid did not happen because if you have money and you go to the market to buy a shirt or a pair of trousers, you have to decide whether to buy it or not.

Manchester United's Radamel Falcao's incredible career so far

Making a splash: Falcao was prolific during his two years at Porto

Kicking on: The Colombian continued his outstanding goalscoring form at Atletico Madrid

Short stay: Falcao spent only one season at Monaco before joining Manchester United this week

‘Real Madrid chose not to. I don’t know, I have the feeling they wanted the player for free with a number of conditions. In any case, they bought the trousers and shirt they wanted and they considered that to be better. We have to accept it.’

It all leaves plenty of questions. Another surrounds the decisions next summer, when Falcao will be 29. It will be interesting to see if United then see worth in a deeper investment, or if their top-four aims have been achieved via this short-term project.

So much will be learned in the coming weeks. If Falcao is over his injury, his Real disappointment and can adapt to the biggest pressure of his career, Manchester United might just have signed the best out-and-out striker in football. And what a coup that would be. He needs his visa first.