He has spoken of his unhappiness playing in front of small crowds

Manchester United took their summer spending past £150 million last night after signing Radamel Falcao, the prolific Monaco striker, in one of the most expensive season-long loan deals in history.

On a dramatic final day of the transfer window, Falcao became the sixth significant arrival of a chaotic summer at Old Trafford after Manchester City turned down the chance to sign the Colombian when they were told that it would cost £29 million to fund the deal.

United, whose huge financial splurge underlines their desperation to avoid a second successive season out of the Champions League, have the option of signing the 28-year-old permanently for €55 million (about £43.5 million) next summer.

The club also formally confirmed the £14 million signing of Daley Blind, the