Former Manchester United winger Angel Di Maria has opened up on his time at Old Trafford in an interview with ESPN Radio in Argentina, and he has made it perfectly clear that he did not see eye-to-eye with United boss Louis Van Gaal.
Di Maria made his debut as a substitute for PSG last night and provided a sublime assist for compatriot Ezequiel Lavezzi in an impressive 3-0 win over Monaco, but he was fielding questions about his former club upon his return to Argentina.
When asked about his time at Old Trafford, Angel Di Maria made it perfectly clear that Louis Van Gaal was one of the main reasons behind his departure, and suggested that a hamstring injury picked up in November was the reason for his sub-par finish to the season.
Van Gaal has his philosophy and it is one of the reasons why I wanted to leave Manchester United.
I made a very good start and then I got injured. Things weren’t quite working for me and Van Gaal changed my position.
It’s difficult to adapt to Van Gaal. I had a number of flare ups with him.
Van Gaal does indeed have a track record of falling out with some of the more high profile players that he has managed, and Di Maria continued to explain that a chat with PSG manager Laurent Blanc about his best position is what convinced him to make the switch:
I spoke to Blanc and he believes I should play in a similar position as I did at Real Madrid (the right of a midfield three).
I never believed I would get such a great reception here. It was the best presentation I’ve ever had at a club.
This is something that was a known possibility when Van Gaal was handed the reigns at Old Trafford, and it seems that players either love or hate playing for the fiery Dutchman, but with Manchester United's struggles to find a replacement for Di Maria in the transfer market it doesn't make great reading for fans of the club.
via The Mirror.
