Tough van Gaal puts Falcao in his place

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal says he is "not interested" in whether striker Radamel Falcao is happy to settle for a substitute’s role and insisted the Colombian is not fit enough to last a full match.

Van Gaal said Falcao’s lack of match fitness means he can only play for 20 minutes or so in the fast pace of the Premier League, and that the demands of the squad mean he has to continue in that role as cover for other strikers rather than work on his fitness.

Falcao is likely to be on the bench again at Southampton on Monday and asked if the striker was happy with that role, Van Gaal replied: “I am not interested in that. He has to follow my philosophy — do you understand that? I am here because of that.