Manchester United announce signing of Falcao on season-long loan from Monaco
When the transfer window closed at 11 p.m. local time, Manchester United still hadn't announced Radamel Falcao's arrival at Old Trafford.
However, that was reportedly because the club were granted extra time to file the paperwork as El Tigre is now officially a member of United.
BREAKING: #mufc is delighted to announce Radamel Falcao has joined on a 1-year loan from Monaco with an option to buy pic.twitter.com/gnhR4rdsmF
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) September 2, 2014
"I am delighted to be joining Manchester United on loan this season," said Falcao in an official statement. "Manchester United is the biggest club in the world and is clearly determined to get back to the top. I am looking forward to working with Louis van Gaal and contributing to the team’s success at this very exciting period in the club’s history."
Whether or not United choose to exercise their option to buy Falcao at the end of the season remains to be seen. While there's inevitably a great deal of excitement surrounding his arrival at Old Trafford, which reportedly cost the Red Devils £6 million, the majority of United's issues - as mentioned in the post below - have never been in front of goal. They've been at the back.
The team's struggles in defense have seen Louis Van Gaal's 3-5-2 formation manage only two points from their first three Premier League fixtures and exit the Capital One Cup in humiliating fashion following a 4-0 loss to League One side Milton Keyton Dons.
Two goals in those four matches might suggest that United do need some help in front of goal, but the club already possess a wealth of attacking talent in Robin Van Persie, Wayne Rooney, and Juan Mata, who could now be forced out of the team's starting lineup to accommodate Falcao.
It's also worth mentioning that Falcao's link-up play with the midfield leaves a lot to be desired, as Colombian supporters have duly noted over the years. And at a club that's in need of players who can bridge the gap between its midfielders and forwards, his inclusion in the starting XI could be particularly problematic.
With that said, Falcao's numbers speak for themselves. 70 goals in 91 appearances at Monaco and 72 goals in 87 appearances at Porto are some unbelievably impressive statistics.