MONTE CARLO: Radamel Falcao, the top-scoring Colombian who missed the World Cup, could make hs comeback from injury in this coming weekend’s Emirates Cup in north London.

His French league club Monaco will be competing against Valencia and hosts Arsenal in the next step along their pre-season preparation.

Falcao’s season was ended abruptly by knee ligament injury during a Frwench cup-tie in January. He worked hard but in vain to try to regain fitness in time for the World Cup in which Colombia, without him, reached the quarter-finals.

Monaco’s new coach Leonardo said: “I think Falcao can start playing again from the Emirates Cup. He’s in the final stages of his recuperation.”

Leonardo shrugged off questions about speculation that Falcao would be transferred out of Monte Carlo before the August 31 deadline. The Brazilian said: “Right now he is a Monaco player and I am relying on him.”

Falcao top-scored for Atletico de Madrid in 2012-13 before his move to Monaco amid speculation that this was a diplomatic ‘bridge’ ahead of a further transfer this summer to Real Madrid.

One key player who has left Monaco is Falcao’s fellow Colombian James Rodriguez, whose six-goal top-scoring exploits at the World Cup in Brazil led to his own transfer to Real Madrid.

Leonardo, asked how he felt about Rodriguez’s loss, said: “He was an important player for us last season but he now he belongs in the past. My focus is on the players who are here.”

##############