Paris Saint-Germain winger Angel Di Maria has explained why his brief stay at Manchester United didn’t go to plan. The Argentina international endured a torrid time at Old Trafford, resulting in a premature exit just 12 months after joining from Real Madrid.
The 33-year-old enjoyed a brilliant start to life by scoring in his home debut but as his relationship with Louis van Gaal deteriorated, so did his career at the club. Di Maria has also hit out at the insistence on him wearing the famous No7 jersey, insisting he did not care for the number.
Di Maria was particularly scathing in his assessment of former Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal, revealing that the Dutchman would rarely be inclined to acknowledge his good performances.
“I didn’t give a f**k about the Manchester United No. 7,” he told TyC Sports, via the Manchester Evening News. “At first they talked to me a lot about it, it was just a shirt.
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“My problem at Manchester was the coach. Van Gaal was the worst of my career. I would score, assist, and the next day he would show me my misplaced passes. He displaced me from one day to the other, he didn’t like players being more than him.”
Di Maria was far from a popular figure at Old Trafford, with his no-show in 2015’s pre-season tour particularly frowned upon by supporters.
Since his controversial departure, he rediscovered the form which convinced Manchester United to pay £67.5m (via Transfermarkt) for his services in 2014.
