New Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has finally assembled his pre-season plans, with his first home assignment now known.
The Dutchman will enjoy his Old Trafford bow on Sunday July 31 with a clash against Spanish side Rayo Vallecano. The game represents the Red Devils’ final opportunity to prepare for the new season, coming after friendly clashes against Premier League rivals Liverpool, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa. They are also set to take on Melbourne Victory and Atletico Madrid in what is a hectic calendar ahead of the new season.
Whilst the clash with Rayo Vallecano will be an excellent chance for supporters to see Ten Hag - and of course the work he is doing with the club - up close for the first time, it also gives a couple of former United players the chance to return to their old stomping ground.
Ex-striker Radamel Falcao has been with the Spanish club for the past 12 months, scoring six goals in 25 appearances in all competitions. 'El Tigre', now 36, previously enjoyed a spell with Galatasaray before his switch to Estadio de Vallecas.
Whilst the Colombian enjoyed the reputation of being one of the most lethal strikers in Europe during his time with Porto, Atletico and Monaco, he was not able to match those performances whilst at Old Trafford. Joining the Red Devils ahead of the 2014/15 campaign on loan, he was only able to score four goals as a combination of injuries and poor form limited his contributions.
Former United boss Louis van Gaal has since suggested that he was not his first choice for attacking recruits. Speaking to BBC Sport in 2019, he said: "I wanted a first-class striker. I don't want to go through all the names but when you can't have the first or second choice, you have to be happy with the fourth or fifth, so Falcao came into the picture but we knew in advance he was injured. That is why I said we should take him on loan."
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It goes without saying that United elected not to bring Falcao back to the club on a permanent deal, even though a pre-agreed clause was slotted into the deal. Whilst the Colombian was not a success in Manchester, the same could definitely be said of one of his current teammates - Bebe.
Now 31, the Portuguese-born winger infamously arrived at the club for roughly £7million during the tenure of Sir Alex Ferguson. He eventually made just seven appearances before he was jettisoned on three consecutive loan deals before joining Benfica on a permanent deal.
He was never able to settle before his switch to Vallecano back in 2018 following an initial loan spell. Bebe has gone on to make 160 appearances for the Spanish club and will no doubt be aiming to show the Old Trafford faithful a glimpse of his abilities, having on numerous occasions been labelled as one of the worst United signings in history.
