(REUTERS/Darren Staples)

Manchester United continued their trend of countering losses on the field with signings off it, when the club agreed to bring in Colombian striker Radamel Falcao in on a year-long loan Monday.

There’s no other way to spin this story. This is the worst Manchester United team in over 20 years. You know it. I know it. And United manager Louis van Gaal knows it.

Two points in three matches against middling Premier League talent is inexcusable from any team with designs for a top-four finish but for Manchester United, that type of form is almost unheard of.

“I’ve said I shall give every player a fair chance,” van Gaal said after United’s 0-0 draw with Burnley on Saturday. “I’ve given every player a fair chance … I have given players a chance before September 1, so this gives them a reasonable chance to move or not – it is their choice. I have always said that.”

Eddie Keogh/Reuters

United’s new manager has asked for time and patience over the past few months, as he sorts through the wreckage of his team. Last week, van Gaal signed Angel Di Maria to accompany the signings of players like Luke Shaw, Marcos Rojo, and Ander Herrera. The Falcao deal comes on the heels of United’s announcement that the club has also agreed to a $23 million transfer fee for Dutch defender Daley Blind.

In case there was any doubt of van Gaal’s intentions, the agreement to send Javier Hernandez to Real Madrid on loan and the dangling of Denny Welbeck in front of anyone who will take him paints a crystal clear picture of the Old Trafford landscape.

(AP)

Louis van Gaal has seen the caliber of player Manchester United currently has, and he doesn’t want any of it.

Hernandez and Welbeck will likely be the first to depart but as the transfer window winds to a close today, don’t be shocked if players like Anderson, Tom Cleverly and literally anyone else van Gaal can unload as well. United is sick, and van Gaal is moving quickly to cut out the infection.

The question now is whether the Dutch manager will be capable of blending his new signings in time to salvage the season and secure a spot in the Champions League next year.

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