A look at how Angel di Maria statistically outperformed any Manchester United midfielder last season.
Manchester United appear to have stepped up their interest in Argentina international Angel di Maria.
Under-pressure chief executive Ed Woodward reportedly met with Real Madrid president Florentino Perez in Cardiff in midweek, where the La Liga side were contesting and winning the UEFA Super Cup.
The Mail reported his presence at the stadium and detailed how they are hoping to bring down Real’s €70 million asking price.
Di Maria produced mixed if productive performances at the World Cup, but was seen as Madrid’s key man in their Champions League Final win over Atletico in May.
We took a look at his form for Real Madrid in La Liga last season, to see how he compared to Manchester United’s midfielders in 2013/14:
| Team | Pos | Assist | Total Att Assist / apps | Accurate Cross / apps | Won Tackle / apps | Won Dribbles / apps | Apps | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angel di Maria | Real Madrid | MF | 17 | 2.7 | 2.1 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 33 |
| Juan Mata | Man Utd | MF | 4 | 2.20 | 0.93 | 0.73 | 0.87 | 15 |
| Adnan Januzaj | Man Utd | MF | 3 | 1.15 | 1.11 | 0.67 | 1.89 | 27 |
| Shinji Kagawa | Man Utd | MF | 3 | 0.89 | 0.33 | 0.83 | 0.56 | 18 |
| Antonio Valencia | Man Utd | MF | 3 | 0.93 | 0.59 | 1.24 | 0.97 | 29 |
| Marouane Fellaini | Man Utd | MF | 1 | 0.31 | 0.06 | 1.94 | 0.56 | 16 |
| Ashley Young | Man Utd | MF | 1 | 0.80 | 0.80 | 0.45 | 0.65 | 20 |
| Tom Cleverley | Man Utd | MF | 0 | 0.45 | 0.09 | 1.82 | 0.23 | 22 |
| Nani | Man Utd | MF | 0 | 1.00 | 0.82 | 0.73 | 2.27 | 11 |
What is most impressive about Angel di Maria’s form for Real Madrid last season, is that he outclassed every Manchester United midfielder almost in every department.
Only Marouane Fellaini made more tackles per game than he did, the defensive side of the Argentine’s game an oft overlooked one, while only Nani and Adnan Januzaj made more tackles per game.
In terms of assists, while it should be taken into account Juan Mata played only half a season for United – Di Maria made more (17) than the entire United midfield did in the Premier League (15).
On a per game basis he created more goalscoring opportunities than Juan Mata, while his crossing accuracy was far superior than any United player.
This could be an especially key asset given Louis van Gaal’s intention to play with two strikers, Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie.
Real Madrid may be asking a high fee for his services, but this is only because they would rather not lose him – and looking at the quality he provided last season it’s easy to see why that is the case.
For a United side whose chief executive boasted money is no object, Di Maria would be a clear upgrade, and a huge addition.
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