A British record signing when he arrived, it didn’t take him long to leave.
Manchester United’s Angel di Maria v Leicester
He was signed with much fanfare from Real Madrid just short of £60 million, and he was supposed to be the catalyst of a Manchester United revival under Louis van Gaal.
This was a man that was man-of-the-match in the 2014 Champions League final which saw Los Blancos win their 10th European Crown in Lisbon against city rivals Atletico Madrid.
When he initially arrived, he certainly looked the part. An impressive debut against Queens Park Rangers, and a wonderful goal finished off with a deft chip in a 5-3 defeat to Leicester City made it seem as though Real had a nightmare even considering letting the Argentine leave – regardless of the fee.
Angel Di Maria with Louis van Gaal and Ryan Giggs
But after a promising start, it didn’t go according to plan for Di Maria at United as he ended up branding his time at Old Trafford as a ‘sad experience’, according to L’Equipe, as reported by the Daily Mirror.
He said: “Honestly, I don’t remember what happened and I don’t want to remember.”
Little wonder, as just the four goals from 32 appearances is not exactly a record to shout about. Some have said that he wasn’t used properly by Louis van Gaal – whose use of players came under constant criticism during his time at Manchester United.
There was also the bizarre sending-off for grabbing referee Michael Oliver in an FA Cup quarter-final against Arsenal. Though people saw the quality, there was not enough of it on show, and you could see that he wasn’t altogether comfortable.
Referee Michael Oliver as he sent off Manchester United’s Angel Di Maria
So Di Maria took the option to leave the club for Paris Saint-Germain exactly a year ago today, for a fee reported to be £44.3 million by Sky Sports. United took a loss, but the price showed that he was a player still highly regarded.
Though Ligue 1 may not be as strong as the Premier League, he has managed to find something resembling his best form in the French capital, having found the net 15 times from 47 games in a season that saw them win the French double once again.
Back in February, Di Maria had a few words to say about Louis van Gaal – and they weren’t complimentary, as he told the BBC he was played out of position among other things.
It seemed to be one of the reasons that a move that looked so right for both parties turned into something of a nightmare.
Angel Di Maria signs for PSG
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