A Square Peg in a Round Hole.

It's deadline day, 1st September 2014 and Louis Van Gaal has confirmed the signature of Colombian number 9, Radamel Falcao. With a striking force of Falcao, Van Persie, Di Maria and Wayne Rooney, many thought that United would be up there in the title challenge. The four scored a over 50 goals between them last season, with Falcao netting 11. So why has it all gone wrong for Radamel Falcao?

I will be highly amazed if he is signed for the reported €43m in the summer after the loan deal this season worth £6m. Scoring 4 goals in 19 games for The Red Devils has done nothing to inspire Van Gaal to stump up the money to make his signing permanent. Injuries have also hampered his playing time, having been ruled out of the World Cup having got injured in a match for Monaco. Injury worries are probably why he was only signed on loan - a smart move from Louis Van Gaal.

It is evident that Falcao is a confidence player, and right now his morale is rock bottom. This is not helped by the constant bashing he has received in the media. Falcao needs a 5 yard winner and a run of games in the first team. Anytime he has netted, he has either been benched or picks up an injury. He has also had to adapt to the tactics used by Van Gaal in Manchester. Radamel Falcao excels as the front man in a 4-2-3-1 formation with a playmaker in behind. At United it would be Juan Mata or Wayne Rooney, but LVG has been experimenting with a hybrid 3-5-2/5-3-2 or a 4-1-2-1-2 formation. 

Louis Van Gaal doesn't know his best tactic and starting 11 and this is hampering both Falcao and the rest of the squad. Earlier in the season, the Colombian was played in a front two alongside Van Persie. It is safe to say that he didn't enjoy this and prefers to be a lone wolf up front. Van Persie and Falcao are similar types of players, strong and like a traditional centre forward. Both were running into each others space and frustration was apparent in their body language. Van Gaal is obviously going to prefer the Dutchman, with Falcao seemingly moving on to new pastures in the summer.

The media jumped at the chance to hammer Falcao for being substituted in an U21s match where he was largely ineffective. This is the last thing everyone expected to hear when he completed the loan move back in September. Also, Adnan Januzaj was preferred on Monday night when Manchester United were a goal down to Arsenal in the FA Cup quarter final tie. He pretty much sums up El Tigre's career in Manchester when a 20 year old academy graduate gets the nod over a seasoned striker.

Again, Louis Van Gaal overlooked Falcao for his selection to face Spurs on Sunday, in favour of Rooney and Fellaini with Mata in behind. Unlike the Arsenal result, United delivered an accurate, professional performance and comfortably won 3-0, meaning that Falcao's troubles will not be documented as readily as he was over the past week.

On Sunday however, Van Gaal played a 4-3-3 formation, something which could benefit the Colombian. Mata and Ashley Young were the two wide men and both had decent outings. Ashley Young has the ability to whip in a venomous ball and if Di Maria plays on the right, those pesky inswingers are a nightmare for defences to defend. This could be the attacking lineup that sparks a comeback for Falcao, however it doesn't look like he will be able to displace Wayne Rooney anytime soon.

His pickle also asks another question. Is the role of the 'traditional number 9' dying out? Like Falcao, Fernando Torres never excelled at Chelsea, even though he did at Liverpool, and Andy Carroll has failed to make any impact after a one hit wonder season at Newcastle. While Diego Costa shows similar traits to that of the number 9, he tends to like to drift wider in order to bring the midfield of Fabregas, Willian and Hazard into play.

Giroud is probably the closest we have to another Shearer, however it's insulting to Geordie to compare the Frenchman to him. In the modern era, teams are preferring to adopt a playmaking number 10 in the hole. United has Rooney, Chelsea have Hazard, Arsenal have Ozil and Liverpool have Coutinho. This type of player has become more dominant in the modern day and are more of a focal point than the traditional striker.

In the number of appearances he has had this season, I remember the away game in the FA Cup to Cambridge United. He was heavily criticised after a poor team performance from his side, yet he received substandard service from his midfield, and that is being generous. The battering he took from the media, will have done more damage than good to his morale. I don't think anyone can doubt that he has got a dead eye from goal, and is lethal in front of goal, but he needs Mata, Herrera, Rooney to do their job in the centre of the pitch.

If Radamel Falcao wants to prolong his stay in Manchester, then he will need to come up with the goods sooner rather than later. However, it looks like he is on borrowed time in Old Trafford, and will be travelling back to the French Riviera once the season concludes. I don't think United are suited to him, and there definitely will be plenty of suitors in the summer if he is looking to part from Monaco.