Di Maria arrived at Old Trafford in 2014 but was sold a year later
Angel Di Maria’s time as a Manchester United player was largely forgettable.
Man of the match as Real Madrid clinched La Décima in the 2014 Champions League final, big things were expected of the Argentine at Old Trafford when he joined United months later.
Despite a decent start to life in Manchester for Di Maria, things rapidly deteriorated and by the second half of his only season in England, he frequently started matches from the bench. A move to Paris Saint-Germain, where he still plays, was agreed the next summer.
Speaking about his departure from United, Di Maria has blamed Louis van Gaal, the club’s then-manager, for his problems. The Argentina international had grown tired of the Dutchman’s overly critical feedback and so questioned his approach – something which Van Gaal didn’t like.
“I was at Manchester and everything was fine with Van Gaal during the first two months,” he told ESPN Redes in Argentina. “After one fight, things weren’t the same. The relationship wasn’t the same.
“The fight with Van Gaal occurred because he was always showing me bad and negative things and all that held me back.
“One day I fought with him. I told him I didn’t want to see those things anymore, that I was doing things well and asked him why he wasn’t showing me good things.
“He did not like how I spoke to him and from there the whole problem started.”
Di Maria made his first return to United in the Champions League last week, assisting both PSG goals in their 2-0 win at Old Trafford. He marked the first of those goals by appearing to scream “fuck off” at United’s supporters, some of which threw bottles at him as he prepared to take a corner kick.
