Truth be told, it feels a little too perfect.

A case of "protesting a little too much".Radamel Falcao says he got his wish, that he's ready to "make history" at Old Trafford. Louis van Gaal says Falcao proved his quality as one of the best goalscorers in the world during his first training session and that he was just what the club needed. And Manchester United? Well, once again, they've proved their ability to attract "world-class talent".

Sure, that's how you can read it. Or you can flip it around and look at it another way. You can note that, following the £3.2 billion divorce of AS Monaco owner Dmitry Rybolovlev, Falcao was then flogged all over Europe, with no real takers until the final hours of the transfer window when, first, Real Madrid, then Manchester City pulled out, paving the way for United's vice-chairman Ed Woodward to make his move for what some may call sloppy seconds.

You can suggest that maybe Van Gaal was being somewhat polite. After all, he already has two highly- paid strikers in Wayne Rooney - to whom he gave the captain's armbrand - and Robin Van Persie, who we've heard all summer is on the same wavelength as his managerial countryman thanks to their time together with Holland.

And you might even conclude that maybe pedigree matters less to Falcao and his advisors than cold, hard cash. After all, this is the guy who left Atletico Madrid - who, without him, would end up coming within minutes of a Liga-Champions League double - for Monaco: no Champions League and no five- figure crowds, but also no income tax if you are Colombian.

If United were the only team in a reasonable league to offer him a comparable financial package (and clients of super agent Jorge Mendes don't generally take pay cuts) then swapping a comparatively tiny club that's selling everyone for Old Trafford is a bit of a no-brainer.

More likely, the truth is in between. The fear is that if things don't work out, United's summer dealings will give Van Gaal an alibi. And perhaps a justified one. For all the mystery and idiosyncracy surrounding him and his approach - starting with the 3-5-2, which may or may not be reviewed - you can't help but wonder whether this is some brilliant outside-the-box thinking orchestrated by the Dutch genius or a case of a desperate Woodward taking a Panini sticker approach.

We'll get some indication today with the visit of Queens Park Rangers. Granted, even an emphatic win won't tell us too much given QPR's current difficulties. But the alternative - a fifth straight game without a win - would start raising even more serious questions.

And perhaps some chickens would come home to roost.

The Champions League returns this week and with it talk of Financial Fair Play. Some have complained that those clubs who were not in European competition last season - among them Liverpool, Roma and Monaco - have an unfair advantage. While their competitors were assessed (and punished, in the case of Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, Zenit St Petersburg and a few others) they were not.

They'll go through the system this year, of course and last season's numbers will count towards the assessment, meaning they could face sanctions next season if they're found to be in breach.

But you wonder if Uefa might not be well served to conduct a mini-assessment of their own this autumn to determine if there are serious breaches.

Because, frankly, if it emerges that one of these sides has gone way beyond the FFP parameters and ends up winning the whole thing it will be deemed grossly unfair and, possibly, expose Uefa to legal action.

It couldn't be a full-scale FFP process of course, because there won't be a threat of exclusion or - at this stage - even squad size reduction. But fines can still be imposed and warnings sent. And at the very least you'd be closing an absurd loophole.

The usual charge levied against the first Fifa international break, coming as it does in early September, is that it's a bit of a downer. It sucks momentum from club football just as the season is beginning. It's a fair point, but with the calendar as it is, the reality is there is no other time to squeeze in two games without having to rejig fixture lists elsewhere.

You can't do it earlier because leagues kick off at different times and, besides, it would interfere with pre-season training or, worse, pre-season tours. Move it later and you risk getting too close to the other two breaks, in October and November. December, January and February are a no-go because of the weather and because some leagues take a winter break. Then there's another in late March and one in early June, again, because clubs don't want them - for obvious reasons - in April and May.

Unless you think in terms of radical change - like, say, having no international breaks during the season, ending club football in mid- April and then having a six to eight-week "international season", - there's only so much you can do.

The nice thing, from a fan's perspective, is that the game has finally embraced what Uefa calls the "Week of Football". It's a simple idea. Instead of concentrating every game in one day, it's now spread out. So the first round of European qualifiers were played on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, each with standard kick-off times - 5pm and 7.45pm.

That meant that, over three days, you could watch Serbia v France and Germany v Scotland on Sunday, Switzerland v England and Spain v Macedonia on Monday and Czech Republic v Holland and Norway v Italy on Tuesday. All reasonable games and, crucially, all sold and marketed by Uefa, who are keen to increase the appeal of international football, particularly "neutral games", i.e. those not involving a broadcaster's home country. It works for the Champions League, it may yet be lucrative for international football too. But, vitally for fans, it means something to watch almost every day. And the season doesn't feel as if it's grinding to a halt.