Former Manchester United star Angel Di Maria has made a surprise admission about his time at the club in his latest remarks.
Nightmare stint
Di María’s time at United proved to be a brief, headline-grabbing, and ultimately disappointing episode in his career.
United’s marquee signing in 2014, he arrived at United to much fanfare, hype and expectations. However, he struggled to meet it and left after just one year.
The Red Devils forked out £59.7m, a British record at the time, to secure his services from Real Madrid. He put pen to paper on a five-year deal.
The Argentine was handed the iconic number seven shirt, which has previously been sported by the likes of George Best, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona, David Beckham, and Cristiano Ronaldo. Di Maria was seen as a dynamic and flair-filled attacker but he struggled to translate his quality onto the pitch under Louis van Gaal.
He endured troubles on and off the pitch. He regularly collided with Van Gaal. And to make matters worse, his home was burgled.
Di Maria made 32 appearances for United across all competitions, contributing four goals. He was sold to Paris Saint-Germain in August 2015 for around £44 million. The 38-year-old has never shied away from speaking about his difficulties in Manchester, but he has now claimed that he doesn’t regret the move.
Speaking to the BBC, Di Maria laid the blame for his struggles squarely on Van Gaal.
Di Maria’s remarks
The World Cup winner said, “Things started really well. Everything was flowing. Then I started to have issues with Van Gaal and from there everything fell apart.”
Asked to respond to Di María’s comments, Van Gaal stressed that he never asked to sign the player and also struggled to find a clear, defined role for him in his plans.
Di Maria added, “Like I said, I started really well. Everything was perfect. But then suddenly we started having lots of meetings about all the things I was doing wrong on the pitch. He never showed me what I was doing well, just the negatives, over and over. Eventually I got fed up.”
“Life there was very different. It gets dark really early and then the cold started. Everything kept snowballing. There was also the break-in at my house. When all of that happens; when you are not playing, when things aren’t going well for you, when you have problems inside the club, it ends up affecting you a lot. It made me hate being there.”
“I got robbed in Paris too and still stayed for another two or three years, because life there was good. In Manchester, everything just snowballed. I wanted to prioritise my family and that is why I left.”
“He said I never showed up [for pre-season] but I had already said I wanted to leave and that I wasn’t going to report back to the club. I stayed in Rosario until a decision was made.”
“If you are unhappy, your family is unhappy, if your house gets burgled, you fall out with the manager and things aren’t going well, it’s very difficult to say I loved my time in Manchester. That is the reality.”
However, Di Maria insisted the the decision to sign for United was the right one.
“But when it comes to the Premier League, the atmosphere, life at the club, honestly, I was left with a really good feeling because there were great people inside the club who always treated me well, who always supported me and helped me with everything. For that, I’m grateful.”
He further stated, “It was a decision I wanted to make. I wanted to go to United. The football, arriving at the stadiums, the atmosphere, the love from the fans, I don’t regret any of it.”
“Joining them was incredible. I played as Manchester United on the PlayStation. I used to play with (Wayne) Rooney and suddenly, he was beside me. Of course, I understood the number seven was the biggest shirt number at Manchester United. But to me, it was just a number, like I wore 22 at Madrid.”
The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social
