My problem at Manchester United wasn't number 7 but Louis van Gaal, asserts Angel Di Maria

While Angel Di Maria signed with great pomp and circumstances for Manchester United, even taking the number 7 shirt, the Argentine forward struggled to make an impression. The former Real Madrid man scored just four goals, with 12 assists, across all competitions for the club before eventually leaving a year later for Paris Saint-Germain. While things changed in France, the now 33-year-old’s spell in England is what defines him despite playing a key role for PSG and Argentine since.

However, in a recent interview, Angel Di Maria admitted that his problem, or rather the cause for his struggles, at Old Trafford wasn’t the number 7 but the head coach Louis van Gaal. The two men crossed paths during their time at Old Trafford with Van Gaal signing on in the summer of 2014, the same year Di Maria arrived, as Manchester United’s head coach. The 33-year-old also added that the Dutch boss was “the worst of” his career and constantly criticized him.

"I didn't give a f*ck about the Manchester United No. 7, at first they talked to me a lot about it, it was just a shirt. My problem at Manchester was the coach. Van Gaal was the worst of my career. I would score, assist, and the next day he would show me my misplaced passes. He displaced me from one day to the other, he didn't like players being more than him,” Di Maria said, reported Goal.