Manchester United’s £59.7 million signing enjoyed an average first appearance in a red shirt – much like his side as a whole.
There was an understandable amount of excitement surrounding Angel Di Maria’s first Manchester United appearance.
That, though, was mixed with suggestions that the Argentine isn’t necessarily what Louis van Gaal’s side need right now.
On current form, it’s hard to say what they need – or, rather, it’s hard to identify just how many areas they need to improve upon.
For Di Maria himself, there will also be areas of improvement after the 0-0 draw against Burnley. Especially if you look at the stats…
| Team | Pos | Passing Accuracy (%) | Dribbles Won | Accurate Crosses | Touches | Successful Final-Third Passes | Apps | Mins | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adnan Januzaj | Man Utd | MF | 100.00 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Juan Mata | Man Utd | MF | 97.44 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 13 | 1 | 87 |
| Phil Jones | Man Utd | DF | 94.44 | 0 | 0 | 74 | 2 | 1 | 90 |
| Ashley Young | Man Utd | MF | 90.91 | 5 | 1 | 70 | 3 | 1 | 90 |
| Darren Fletcher | Man Utd | MF | 90.38 | 1 | 0 | 62 | 8 | 1 | 90 |
| Anderson | Man Utd | MF | 88.89 | 0 | 2 | 22 | 8 | 1 | 20 |
| Antonio Valencia | Man Utd | MF | 84.13 | 0 | 0 | 99 | 20 | 1 | 90 |
| Danny Welbeck | Man Utd | FW | 83.33 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 17 |
| Jonny Evans | Man Utd | DF | 80.22 | 0 | 0 | 105 | 17 | 1 | 90 |
| Tyler Blackett | Man Utd | DF | 73.42 | 1 | 0 | 96 | 9 | 1 | 90 |
| Ángel Di María | Man Utd | MF | 72.73 | 3 | 0 | 51 | 11 | 1 | 70 |
| Robin van Persie | Man Utd | FW | 71.43 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 5 | 1 | 73 |
| Wayne Rooney | Man Utd | FW | 63.64 | 1 | 0 | 47 | 8 | 1 | 90 |
| David de Gea | Man Utd | GK | 57.89 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 0 | 1 | 90 |
Indeed, as Opta data shows, the 26-year-old had the fourth-lowest passing accuracy of any Man United player, completing just 72.73 per cent of his passes.
The Argentine also didn’t get that involved from central midfield, taking just 51 touches – although he was substituted after 70 minutes.
He did complete 11 final-third passes – but that was bettered by Juan Mata, Jonny Evans and Antonio Valencia.
On the ball, Di Maria won three dribbles. That, however, was beaten by Ashley Young of all people, who completed five.
All in all, then, while the £59.7 million signing from Real Madrid showed flashes of his quality, this was nowhere near a £59.7m performance.
Van Gaal will hope that, in signing the Argentine, he hasn’t just given himself another problem to try and solve.
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