Argentina World Cup winner Ángel Di María has blamed former Manchester United FC manager Louis van Gaal for his disappointing spell at Old Trafford.
In an interview with BBC Sport, Di Maria said his relationship with Van Gaal quickly deteriorated after a strong start to life in England.
“Things started really well. Everything was flowing,” Di Maria said.
“Then I started to have issues with Van Gaal and from there everything fell apart.”
The Argentine joined United from Real Madrid CF in 2014 for a British record fee at the time and initially impressed with three goals and four assists in his first six matches.
However, the winger said constant criticism from Van Gaal affected his confidence.
“He never showed me what I was doing well, just the negatives, over and over. Eventually I got fed up,” he added.
Burglary and family struggles added to problems
Di Maria also revealed that an attempted burglary at his Cheshire home deeply affected him and his family during his time in Manchester.
The Argentine said the difficult weather, problems at the club and family discomfort all contributed to his desire to leave.
“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,” he said.
“It made me hate being there.”
Di Maria’s wife, Jorgelina Cardoso, had previously criticised life in Manchester and admitted she never wanted the move from Madrid.
The winger eventually left United after one season and joined Paris Saint-Germain FC in 2015.
Di Maria says he still does not regret joining United
Despite the difficult spell, Di Maria said he still values the experience of playing for Manchester United and praised the support he received from people inside the club.
“It was a decision I wanted to make. I wanted to go to United,” he said.
“The atmosphere, the love from the fans, I don’t regret any of it.”
The former United winger also described fulfilling a childhood dream by playing alongside Wayne Rooney at Old Trafford.
Discussion about this post