Top 10 alternative signings Manchester United could have made

#6 Javier Pastore instead of Radamel Falcao

Pastore is not a striker, but he would've been a wiser choice

Another strange van Gaal transfer. Danny Welbeck left Old Trafford in the Summer of 2014 and his replacement was highly-rated striker Radamel Falcao. Very exciting time for United fans as the underwhelming Welbeck was replaced with one of the best strikers in Europe...or at least Falcao had been before his ACL injury.

It's hard to blame Falcao for his disappointing spell with United, few players excelled under van Gaal and it was clear Falcao was not as sharp as he should have been. He's since regained his match fitness and become a key player back in Monaco, albeit not reaching the heights he did whilst at Atletico Madrid.

Though Javier Pastore would not have been a direct alternative to Falcao, if van Gaal wanted to add more attacking firepower in his first United season, Paris Saint-Germain could have been tempted to sell their Argentinian play-maker.

PSG were putting together their own brand of "Galacticos" with huge investment and the talented Pastore fell down the pecking order at PSG, with talents like Marco Verratti ahead of him.

Pastore's skill and technique could have offered a different dimension to United's attacking play with his ability on the ball and effectiveness in both central and wide attacking areas, as well as defensive stability in midfield.

Pastore could have offered a longer-term option to United's squad, as he is still only 28 in 2018, and could have developed into a better player featuring regularly at United, rather than bench-warming at PSG.