Abu Dhabi: Out-of-favour Manchester United striker Radamel Falcao has vowed to ‘continue and fight to the end’ at the Red Devils as he prepares to enjoy valuable game time with Colombia in Abu Dhabi next week.
Falcao will join stellar talents such as Chelsea winger Juan Cuadrado and Inter Milan midfielder Freddy Guarin at Zayed Sports City on Monday for an international friendly with Kuwait.
It will be a prime chance for the 29-year-old to reassert himself following a frustrating campaign at Old Trafford, where he has scored only four goals in 19 appearances after moving on loan from French side Monaco last summer.
“I think any footballer needs to play and is happy playing. I’m totally committed to the club, there are eight matches to go [in the English Premier League] and anything can happen,” Falcao told Colombia’s Radio Caracol.
“I will continue to fight to the end at Manchester United. So when the championship ends, surely I’ll sit down, do an analysis and decide what’s best for me,” added the striker, who was a prolific marksman for Porto, Atletico Madrid and Monaco before a knee ligament injury 14 months ago.
However, Falcao admitted that he may be forced to consider his options away from England if he does not feature more regularly under United boss Louis van Gaal.
He added that other clubs had already been in contact to inquire about his availability. “Obviously I need to find a place where I have continuity and can play,” Falcao said in Bahrain, where Colombia play a Copa America warm-up friendly on Thursday.
“Calls [from other clubs] come every day, so in that sense I’ve got to stay calm, but I keep on the fringe of them, there are people who deal with all that situation. I owe myself to Manchester United at the moment, I have faith and hope because lots of things can happen in the number of matches remaining.”
Meanwhile, Colombia coach Jose Pekerman vowed to support his ailing frontman, who missed his side’s march to the World Cup quarter-finals last summer in Brazil through injury.
He said: “It’s a huge problem that we need to resolve; this problem is as large as the sadness that Falcao is going through right now. I feel I need to support him because I understand how hard it is for him and the difficult moment he is experiencing.”
Colombia are the third best team in the world according to the Fifa rankings, 122 places above Monday’s opponents Kuwait.
Jorvan Vieira’s men will be bidding to recover from a dismal Asian Cup campaign in Australia in January, when they lost all three of their games and finished bottom of Group A. Kick-off at Zayed Sports City is at 8pm on Monday and tickets are available for Dh70 at the gate.
— With inputs from agencies
