It is just a rumour, but according to some reports Alex Ferguson sent his chief scout Jim Lawlor to watch Atletico Madrid predator Radamel Falcao stalking his surroundings last weekend.

Of course if Lawlor was at the Vicente Calderon last Sunday, he could have been eyeing other players.  But prolific Colombian hitman Falcao would certainly have caught his attention as he scored a brace in a 5 – 0 win against Granada.

For much of the past year, the former Porto striker has been linked with a move away from Atletico. But normally the destination has swung on a compass needle pointing towards Stamford Bridge, the Etihad and the Bernabeu.

But during that time, Falcao has also seen the needle pointed towards Old Trafford on occasion with particular emphasis on a potential swap deal involving cash and Javier Hernandez.

The carrot of providing the prolific Hernandez in part exchange could possibly give United a competitive advantage when City, Chelsea and Real take out their cheque books.

But again that is just speculation.

The Falcao rumours may be related to the constant whispering surrounding Wayne Rooney’s future. The crux of the speculation would suggest that Rooney would join Hernandez at the Old Trafford exit door if Falcao were to arrive as Robin Van Persie’s position is secure and Danny Welbeck is appreciated by the manager.

Denials

Alex Ferguson has already denied suggestions that the England striker will leave, but you never know with the 71-year-old.

Rooney is the most vulnerable if United need to recoup significant funds if a big-money move for Falcao materialises.

The 27-year-old Colombian is a pure goalscoring No 9, currently thriving in a counter-attacking unit which plays 4-2-3-1. El Tigre has scored 43 per cent of all of Atletico’s league goals even though his contribution outside the box is minimal (1 assist this season and a pass success rate of 78 per cent).

Meanwhile Robin Van Persie is perfectly capable of dropping deeper in a No 10 role ahead of Rooney in the pecking order.

But perhaps the events at the Britannia last week are more than just coincidence. Ferguson chose to play Rooney in midfield alongside Michael Carrick – an experiment he has occasionally attempted in previous seasons.

Rooney who is blessed with good vision on the ball, excelled in that role on Sunday and actually played more passes than his midfield partner at Stoke, while his tweets after October’s 3 – 0 win over Newcastle game where he was stationed at the top of a midfield diamond exhibited satisfaction:

Great win today. Really enjoying my new midfield role. Always involved in the game.

— Wayne Rooney (@WayneRooney) October 7, 2012

In a similar way to the reinvention of Ryan Giggs’ role, Ferguson could see a future for Rooney in midfield where his reduced explosiveness is less of a concern – despite his good goalscoring and assists rate this season – and could see him co-exist with Falcao and Van Persie.

But with Shinji Kagawa filling a similar position and playing with greater potential than Rooney as evidenced against West Ham on Wednesday night, the PSG rumours will only get louder despite Ferguson's denials, especially considering the return in terms of performance that the club is receiving for his astronomical wage package.