Of all the curiosities in the Premier League last season, a lack of goals from Manchester United was one of them.
Louis van Gaal’s side scored fewer goals than in the previous season when they finished seventh and hit the net only 62 times in the league, their lowest total in a decade, as they eventually finished fourth to secure a return to the Uefa Champions League after a one-season absence.
The failure of Colombian striker Radamel Falcao was a contributing factor to their paucity in front of goal, with their tally two lower than the much-maligned David Moyes side of 12 months earlier.
One of the best strikers in the world before his 2013 cruciate injury, he managed only four goals in 29 appearances during a season-long loan deal from Monaco, at the end of which United chose not to exercise their right to buy him.
Falcao is expected to join Premier League champions Chelsea once Colombia’s Copa America campaign has finished.
MORE FOOTBALL NEWS
Juventus beat Manchester United to Mandzukic, focus now on keeping Pogba
Joe Gomez ‘buzzing to get started’ as Liverpool complete fourth signing
Former Arsenal midfielder Denilson set to complete switch to Al Wahda
While United fans stayed loyal to Falcao despite his struggles, they did not protest when he left.
They will have mixed feelings watching him in a blue shirt when the new season begins in August, but while the Colombian has said little of his time at United, there are many who are sympathetic about his situation.
“I like Falcao,” said former United striker Dwight Yorke, who scored 64 goals for the club between 1998 and 2002.
“Some of his movement was great. When he was substituted, a couple of times I thought, ‘Why? What else does he need to do?’ He probably walked away very frustrated at times.”
Yorke, who was part of United’s treble-winning team in the 1998/99 season that won the Premier League, the FA Cup and the Champions League, said that Falcao was unlucky to be playing for the side during a rebuilding period when they have not been such a force.
“Had he played for United in our era, he would probably have scored bags of goals. He would have scored for fun,” Yorke said.
“Now we have a manager who plays totally different to the way United have played in the past.”
Yorke, 43, who was speaking from his home island of Tobago in the Caribbean ahead of the PFA/BA Legends tournament involving 64 former Premier League players, said he does not think United’s system played to Falcao’s strengths and that was manifested in his goalscoring record.
“Does the (Van Gaal) system create lots of chances?” Yorke said.
“Not really, so it’s very difficult. It doesn’t matter how good a striker you are, if chances aren’t being created for you then you aren’t going to score.
“I feel that Falcao’s make-up was based on — and I looked at him, looked at his record, looked at his movement and from knowing him in the past — it was based on people creating chances for him and him banging them in. If you look at Falcao like I have done being a striker myself, he has just not got the service.”
Falcao did get into dangerous positions and he lost many a defender with constant movement, but without a supply line he struggled.
“He’s a goalscorer and a goalscorer needs service,” Yorke said. “Now there are different types of football, (Wayne) Rooney will score goals from link-up play, but Falcao will score goals from chances created.
“That’s why United have different strikers, and I don’t think he had enough opportunity to score goals.”
Yorke is optimistic that Falcao can be a success at Stamford Bridge working under Jose Mourinho once the expected loan deal is confirmed.
“You can’t write him off just because he had a very average season at United,” Yorke said.
“Judge him on the chances and opportunities he has got in games and I think the creativity at Chelsea will create the opportunity for him to score goals.”
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @NatSportUAE
