Former Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann has slammed Louis van Gaal's treatment of Radamel Falcao at Manchester United as a "disgrace".

The Colombian international was left on the bench as United tumbled out of the FA Cup to Arsenal on Monday evening, before he was selected for an Under-21s game on Tuesday evening.

Hamann told talkSPORT: "He has been fit for eight weeks and to stick him in there is a disgrace. Don't you think he deserves a little bit more respect from the manager? Putting him in the Under-21s is the ultimate demotion you can face as a senior player.

"I played games [for the reserve side] when I was injured and it was not a problem. But when you are not in the team and have been fit for six to eight weeks and have been put in there, that is the ultimate demotion.

"The best players have got huge belief in their own ability and they have got a certain standing and you can't treat a Falcao like you treat a Chris Smalling or Jonny Evans. He may have lost the player now and I will be very surprised if he plays a role between now and the end of the season."

Falcao is on a season-long loan deal from Monaco.