Manchester United defender Chris Smalling believes that Radamel Falcao will find his shooting boots next season following a disappointing loan spell at Old Trafford.

The 29-year-old joined the Red Devils from Monaco on a season-long loan last summer, but the Colombian has scored just four goals in 14 Premier League appearances.

Widespread reports have claimed that United are unlikely to trigger a permanent deal for Falcao, but Smalling is confident that the forward will recover from his poor campaign.

"He's had a couple of injuries on the way, and with every player that means you don't get the consistency of being able to train every week," the Daily Star quotes Smalling as saying. "It affects your flow, especially with strikers who need a run of goals to set them off.

"I think when the manager has given him a chance and he's trained well and he's stayed fit, you can see he is getting sharper and sharper and with a good pre-season he'll be firing again next season."

Ahead of this weekend's final game of the season, Falcao has made 29 appearances in total for United.