Former Manchester United striker Louis Saha has said that Louis van Gaal is right to adopt a patient approach with Radamel Falcao.

Falcao moved to Old Trafford on a season-long loan from Monaco in the summer, but injury problems have restricted the Colombian to just seven appearances – the majority of which have come from the bench.

However, Saha believes that patience is the correct approach for a player that missed the 2014 World Cup with a serious knee problem.

"Sometimes the mistake players make is to push themselves too hard when trying to return from injury. Having experienced the same time and pushing myself, I would experience setbacks four or five weeks down the line with the same injury," he told Goal.com.

"He must take his time and make sure everything is fine and he will have much sharper fitness on the pitch to sustain the pressure and intensity on the pitch. Mental strength only gets you so far, you can always play two or three games but after that you will struggle again. It's a really hard part of football."

Falcao is expected to remain on the bench for United's league clash with Liverpool on Sunday.