London, Jan 12 (IANS): English football club Manchester United's manager Louis Van Gaal has said he was right not to select Colombian forward Radamel Falcao in his side's 0-1 defeat to Southampton in an English Premier League match.

Falcao did not even make the bench Sunday and with Van Gaal insisting he wanted cover in defence and out wide, a second striker was not fielded.

The 19-year-old striker James Wilson replaced the Colombian in the squad.

“No, you have to look at the needs of your selection at the time," Van Gaal was quoted as saying by bbc.com Sunday when asked if he regretted leaving out Falcao.

The 63-year-old Dutchman said he was left out so cover could be provided for defenders such as Englishman Luke Shaw and Argentine Angel Di Maria, who had just fully recovered from injuries and added that the composition of the team depended on the game plan.

"As a coach, you have to take decisions and you have to look at the composition of your team and your selection and you have to look at your game plan," added Van Gaal.

Falcao so far has scored thrice for his team from 12 appearances.

The defeat dropped United down to fourth in the ENglish Premier League table, two points below Southampton, who are now third.