Manchester United: Radamel Falcao cannot fit into Old Trafford system says Louis Saha

Former Manchester United striker Louis Saha has suggested the club need to move on from Radamel Falcao and find a forward who can thrive in manager Louis van Gaal's system.

Falcao's hopes of securing a permanent move to Old Trafford are fading having struck just four goals since his summer 2014 arrival on loan from Monaco, having not started a game since February.

The Colombia international has failed to replicate the form he exhibited during his goal-laden spells at Porto and Atletico Madrid that saw him recognised as one of the most revered strikers in world football.

While Saha sympathises with the 29-year-old after his serious knee injury suffered in January 2014, he admits Falcao and United just does not work.

"If Falcao was scoring 20 goals then United would have been up there, definitely," Saha said, speaking at the Laureus World Sports Awards.

"I don't think the system is set up for him. It has to be for him. He is the kind of striker who needs the team to play a system for him. If he doesn't find that system, he will struggle.

It is a great club but United have big strength up front with Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney and Angel di Maria, and that system is very difficult to make it nice and simple for one player.

"But he also had an injury and the Premier League is a tough league. Maybe he tried to recover too quickly, so was trying to be as fit as possible. But starting in such a big club is not easy and so it was a really big ask for him. But I still back him up. He remains a great player and a great striker."

Falcao may have one final chance to prove himself to Van Gaal when United travel to Chelsea on 18 April. An injury crisis that sees Michael Carrick, Phil Jones, Marcos Rojo and Daley Blind all ruled out could see captain Wayne Rooney dropped into a holding midfield role, according to the United boss.

That will open up a space up front and with Robin van Persie having only returned to training earlier in April after injury, the Colombia international could be in contention to start against the club he terrorised in the 2012 European Super Cup, where he struck a hat-trick in Atletico's 4-1 defeat of the Blues.