Radamel Falcao demoted to Manchester United U21 side

United manager Louis van Gaal had Falcao - who earns a reported £300,000-a-week - on the bench for Monday's FA Cup defeat at the hands of Arsenal.

And though he appeared to have no faith in the 29-year-old to make a mark against the Gunners, he is believed to want to try and keep his summer transfer deadline day loan signing sharp.

With that in mind, former Porto and Atletico Madrid star Falcao was instructed to play for the U21 side against Tottenham on Tuesday night in a U21 Premier League match.

Sadly, even at such a low level, Falcao failed to shine. He did not score, got in the way of a shot by Sean Goss that seemed goal-bound, and was subbed off with just under 20 minutes left as the teams shared a 1-1 draw.

Falcao has just four goals to his name since joining United, sparking widespread speculation that United will not take up their reported £45 million option-to-buy clause at the end of the season.

U21 Premier League rules allow three outfield players aged over 21 to be fielded in each match, and United took advantage of the fact to give Falcao his run-out.

Ex-Barcelona star Victor Valdes, a multiple Liga and Champions League winner, was also in United's U21 side on Tuesday, though considering that he is playing his way back to full fitness after serious injury that was a far less controversial selection.

Less than three years ago, Falcao was rightly regarded as one of the deadliest strikers in Europe, with his masterclass for Atletico Madrid against Chelsea in the 2012 European Super Cup still living in the memory.

But the twice Europa League winner - who won the tournament in 2011 with Porto, and retained it a year later with Atletico - has not hit those heights for some time. At Monaco he was not convincing, and his ineffectiveness in front of goal - despite his undeniable bustle and effort - is simply not good enough.

As for Van Gaal's insistence that he needs to keep sharp by dropping into the U21 side for a match? It seems to us that it'll more likely humiliate and depress the player rather than kickstart a career that is now hanging by a thread.

And the fact that he wasn't able to score, even against Spurs up-and-coming players? Well, it doesn't look good. That banging noise you hear is the sound of the nails being hammered into the lid of his coffin.