It is the kind of conflict Louis van Gaal thrives on. A public assertion of managerial authority over an elite footballer. The more famous the name, the grander the salary, the higher the transfer fee the better.
At Manchester United, the Dutchman's victim has been Radamel Falcao.
Begin with the preposterous record of 156 goals in 200 European club appearances with which Falcao arrived at Old Trafford. Add in the €10 million single-season loan fee, €55 million option to buy the Colombian out of an AS Monaco contract worth €9.8 million a year after tax. Then allow one of the game's most dedicated professionals to suffer as his physical condition is questioned from almost every corner.
In a squad that has suffered injury after injury as their new manager employs what many believe to be an over-intense training regime, Falcao has been granted just 62 minutes of Premier League football since mid-October. When Van Gaal has talked about the striker, it has generally been to declare him unfit to play.
November 20 delivered the bizarre scenario of United's manager informing journalists that Falcao had suffered a "new injury" and was not physically capable of facing Arsenal that weekend on precisely the same day that Falcao assured his club's website that "I am getting better, I feel well and I hope to come back to the pitch soon."The striker, who'd been recuperating from a calf strain, was not the only man at Carrington wondering what Van Gaal was playing at.
This impasse rolled on into December. Van Gaal's most recent claim was that Falcao "can only play for 20 minutes," though he at least offered a more honest description of his decision-making. "I am not interested in that," said Van Gaal when asked if Falcao would be content with a substitute's role. "He has to follow my philosophy."
Those close to Falcao insist that he has been fit enough to play since last month and believe Van Gaal has employed the forward's supposed lack of condition to achieve other aims.
First, an apparent shortfall of attacking personnel deflected questions over a switch to a more defensive formation. Second, it enabled Van Gaal to re-establish Robin van Persie as United's principal striker. Falcao and Van Persie did not jell well when selected together earlier in the season, so when it came to choosing between the two, Van Gaal favoured the man who'd been a key figure in his Netherlands team.
Source http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2304088-inside-line-the-real-reason-radamel-falcao-isnt-playing-at-manchester-united
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