Manchester United when his new side take on QPR
at Old Trafford on Sunday.
The Colombia player, 28, joined on loan from French
side Monaco on transfer deadline day for a fee of
£6m.
He joins a club struggling in the league, with
manager Louis van Gaal's team picking up just two
points and scoring two goals in their opening three
Premier League fixtures.
United also fell to a shock 4-0 defeat at the hands
of League One MK Dons in the Capital One Cup on
August 26.
But with a wealth of attacking talent such as Wayne
Rooney, Robin van Persie, Juan Mata and record
January signing Angel Di Maria also at the club, just
how will Falcao fit into the team?
We asked football pundits and journalists who they
think will feature in Van Gaal's line-up when the
Dutchman has everyone fit and available.
Phil McNulty (BBC Sport chief football writer)
Starting line-up (3-4-1-2): De Gea; Jones, Rojo,
Blind; Valencia, Herrera, Di Maria, Shaw; Rooney;
Van Persie, Falcao. Subs: Lindegaard, Evans,
Smalling, Mata, Januzaj, Carrick, Wilson, Fletcher
Van Gaal shows no signs of moving from his
beloved three at the back so I would go with Phil
Jones, Marcos Rojo and Daley Blind as an initial
selection, then a strong midfield four with Rooney in
behind Van Persie and Falcao. Across midfield,
using wing-backs, I would have Antonio Valencia,
Ander Herrera, Di Maria and Luke Shaw - although
this places great responsibility on Herrera and the
likes of Michael Carrick may be required on
occasions.
There should be lots of goals and this is seemingly
a squad assembled with the short-term aim of
reaching the top four this season then
strengthening further next summer, or even in
January if Roma midfielder Kevin Strootman's knee
injury has healed.
Sadly, as I rate him highly, this leaves Juan Mata
as the odd man out and Marouane Fellaini with not
the slightest trace of a Manchester United future - a
dreadful buy. Ashley Young would also be
vulnerable but not Adnan Januzaj, a player of such
outstanding potential who will eventually fit into that
system. As for Anderson. Why is he still at
Manchester United?
Henry Winter (Daily Telegraph football
correspondent)
Starting line-up (3-4-1-2): De Gea; Evans, Jones,
Rojo; Rafael, Blind, Di Maria, Shaw; Rooney; Falcao,
Van Persie. Subs: Lindegaard, Mata, Valencia,
Herrera, Januzaj, Smalling, Carrick
Difficult to explain Van Gaal's 3-5-2 system in an
English context; it has rarely worked in the Premier
League.
Teams just get overloaded out wide. I still think Di
Maria is best when cutting in from the flanks but
Van Gaal wants him inside. Much may depend on
Van Persie's knee (and Falcao's).
Young was good in pre-season but I cannot see
how he survives long-term with Shaw fit as left
wing-back. I don't see how Mata can start with
Rooney captain and playing off Falcao and Van
Persie.
Herrera is a lovely, neat, mobile central midfielder
but how does he fit in if Van Gaal wants Di Maria in
there? The defence still looks an issue, particularly
with Jonny Evans uncomfortable as the wide right
centre-half.
They may deal easily with QPR but a return to a
back four is surely required. A personal preference,
involving dropping Van Persie and assuming Carrick
is fit, would be a 4-2-1-3: De Gea; Rafael, Jones,
Rojo, Shaw; Blind, Carrick; Rooney; Januzaj, Falcao,
Di Maria.
One thing is for sure, Strootman cannot arrive soon
enough.
Falcao's record in Europe
Season Club Apps Goals
Goals
per
Game
2014-15 Monaco 3 2 0.67
2013-14 Monaco 19 11 0.58
2012-13 Atletico
Madrid 41 34 0.83
2011-12
Atletico
Madrid/
Porto
52 36 0.69
2010-11 Porto 42 38 0.90
2009-10 Porto 43 34 0.79
Ian Dennis (BBC Sport senior football reporter)
Starting line-up (3-4-1-2): De Gea; Evans, Jones,
Rojo; Valencia, Herrera, Blind, Di Maria; Rooney;
Falcao, Van Persie. Subs: Amos, Shaw, Smalling,
Fletcher, Mata, Januzaj, Young
To accommodate Falcao I believe Mata is the one
who makes way. The Spaniard is a natural choice
to be omitted as he has struggled to make an
impression at Old Trafford.
I am basing my selection on the big-hitting trio of
Falcao, Rooney and Van Persie all starting plus Van
Gaal persevering with his system of three at the
back.
However, it is hardly surprising that Van Gaal has
options available to him after spending close to
£150m over the summer, but another complication
to the equation is where will Carrick fit in when he
is fit?
Valencia and Di Maria should play as wing-backs
and provide a threat from the flanks, Blind can offer
protection in midfield and give Herrera the chance
to create with a rotating, fluent threesome of
Rooney, Falcao and Van Persie.
Daniel Taylor (Chief football writer at The Guardian /
The Observer)
Starting line-up (4-3-1-2): De Gea; Rafael, Jones,
Rojo, Shaw; Di Maria, Carrick, Blind; Rooney;
Falcao, Van Persie. Subs: Lindegaard, Evans,
Smalling, Mata, Herrera, Januzaj, Wilson
Van Gaal has devoted himself to a 3-4-1-2
formation so far but that was before Falcao's arrival
and nobody should be too surprised if he gradually
ditches the wing-back system.
Evans and Chris Smalling would be left out of my
defence because they are too erratic and too
injury-prone. In midfield, Mata has to drop out and
would become an understudy for Rooney in the
number 10 role.
Di Maria can operate as a creative, attacking
midfielder, with Carrick and Blind playing in more
withdrawn positions to protect the defence. That
would leave Falcao alongside Van Persie in what
could become the most formidable attack in the
country.
Fellaini will never have the quality that Manchester
United aspire to and it is time to write him off as an
expensive mistake. The same could have been said
a long time ago of Anderson and it is mystifying that
he is still at the club.
Tom Cleverley, Nani and Wilfried Zaha have already
been moved out on loan. Young is more
synonymous with diving than more orthodox wing
play whereas Javier Hernandez has joined Real
Madrid for what could be cruelly described as
undisclosed reasons.
Hernandez has been fortunate, to say the least,
when he has offered so little for United in the last
couple of seasons.
List to sell: Fellaini, Young, Anderson, Hernandez,
Zaha, Cleverley, Nani, M Keane, W Keane.
Martin Lipton (Chief football writer at the Daily
Mirror)
Starting line-up (3-4-3): De Gea; Jones, Blind, Rojo;
Rafael, Herrera, Di Maria, Shaw; Rooney, Van
Persie, Falcao. Subs: Lindegaard, Evans, Smalling,
Carrick, Mata, Januzaj, Valencia
Attractive, thrilling, attacking - and utterly
unbalanced. Welcome to the new Manchester
United, Van Gaal style.
If we are to assume the Dutchman intends to stick
with a back three, it only emphasises the lack of
equilibrium in a squad that seems targeted to beat
the weaker teams, often handsomely and through
instilling fear, to target fourth place.
For lesser sides, to be confronted by Falcao, Van
Persie and Rooney, with Di Maria arriving from
deep, will be terrifying. Better teams, though,
especially the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea and
Liverpool, will deprive them of the ball and expose
the defensive deficiencies.
It is hard to believe Mata has any sort of future.
Likewise Anderson or Fellaini. The exit door awaits
in January.
Pat Nevin (BBC Sport analyst & former Chelsea,
Everton & Scotland winger)
Starting line-up (3-5-2): De Gea; Jones, Rojo, Blind;
Rooney, Herrera, Fletcher, Di Maria, Shaw; Van
Persie, Falcao. Subs: Fellaini, Mata, Carrick,
Valencia, Rafael, Januzaj, Blackett
How will Falcao integrate with
United's current attacking
quartet of Rooney, Mata, Di
Maria and Van Persie?
It is over-simplistic to try to pick 'a' team or a
formation for Manchester United under Van Gaal. He
is a master of adaptability, so to tie yourself to one
system or one set of tactics is anathema to him.
The team above could be 3-5-2, but with slight
manipulations of adaptable players, for example
moving Shaw back a little and Rooney moving up, it
can be morphed quickly into a 4-3-3.
This is the key to playing under Van Gaal, an ability
and willingness to do more than one job and
preferably three or four sometimes during the same
game. Look at Blind and Di Maria - both fill the
criteria and the likes of Rooney and Jones can be
just as versatile.
Fellaini fits into that bracket too oddly enough, but
Mata and Young do not. The Belgian might be the
lucky one of that trio if his form at the club
improves. The others along with Smalling and
Anderson might not be.
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