Manama, March 22 (IANS) Colombia football team manager Jose Pekerman on Sunday pledged to restore striker Radamel Falcao’s diminished confidence when he joins up with his international teammates next week.
The Manchester United flop has been named in Pekerman’s 24-man squad for Colombia’s upcoming games against Bahrain and Kuwait, reports mirror.co.uk.
Falcao, 29, has scored just four goals for Louis van Gaal’s side this season.
Pekerman, who was without Falcao for last summer’s World Cup, is relishing the opportunity to reinvigorate Colombia’s star man.
“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,” Pekerman said.
“I want to work with him again and help him restore his confidence. I know Falcao’s strengths, his mentality and his fighting spirit and I’ve never doubted that he’ll come out the other side,” the coach told mirror.co.uk.
“He’s in a bad moment, but he’s looking after himself and this week is going to be very important for him.”
Falcao set United fans’ tongues wagging when he moved to Old Trafford on a season-long loan with a view to a permanent deal on deadline day last summer.
However, in the ensuing months, that early season optimism all but evaporated with the former Atletico man almost certain to leave at the end of the campaign.
Van Gaal has seemingly lost all faith in Falcao, but Pekerman refused to criticise the Dutchman for his managerial decisions.
“In terms of decisions taken regarding coaching methods, players the manager chooses or in which team a player plays for, I don’t think I should comment on that,” former Argentina coach Pekerman said.
“Of course, on a human level I’m on Falcao’s side because I know that he’s suffering. He deserves the opportunity to work better and to have his chance to show that he’s OK. But it’s not my job to judge the decisions of another coach.”