Football
Richard Jolly, ESPN.com writer 9y

Radamel Falcao can be fixed, says Colombia boss Jose Pekerman

Colombia manager Jose Pekerman described Radamel Falcao's lack of confidence as "a huge problem" as he called his current troubles "a bad moment."

Falcao is in the Colombia squad to face Bahrain and Kuwait in two friendlies, but he has lost his place in the Manchester United team and failed to find the net when he played for their Under-21 side two weeks ago.

Pekerman has vowed to try to imbue Manchester United's struggling striker with belief during the international break.

The 29-year-old, who scored 155 goals in 200 games for Porto, Atletico Madrid and Monaco, has only struck four times in 22 appearances for United.

"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," Pekerman told reporters in Colombia.

"I feel I need to support him because I understand how hard it is for him and the difficult moment he is experiencing. I want to work with him again and help him restore his confidence."

Falcao could be entering the final couple of months of his United career, as his loan deal expires at the end of the season and it is looking less likely that United manager Louis van Gaal will choose to make the move permanent.

Former Argentina manager Pekerman believes the striker has the strength of character to come out of his current slump.

"I know Falcao's strengths, his mentality and his fighting spirit, and I've never doubted that he'll come out the other side," Pekerman added. "He's in a bad moment, but he's looking after himself and this week is going to be very important for him."

Pekerman refused to criticise Van Gaal over his striker's troubles.

He explained: "Of course, on a human level I'm on Falcao's side because I know that he's suffering and he deserves the opportunity to work better and to have his chance to show that he's okay. But it's not my job to judge the decisions of another coach."

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