Man United thought they had signed a superstar when they swooped for Angel Di Maria in 2024, but such dreams quickly faded away after he clashed with Louis van Gaal.
It was on August 26, 2014, that Manchester United suffered one of the most embarrassing results of their modern history.
The Argentine had spent six years in the Spanish capital, making 190 appearances, scoring 36 goals and winning six major honours. He was United's fifth signing of the summer and their most eye-catching by some distance. Goals against Leicester City and Everton soon followed, meaning he made a flying start to life in England. His first six Premier League appearances saw him score three goals and chalk up four assists.
The Dutchman, who left Old Trafford in May 2016, preferred a midfield diamond that lacked width, denying Di Maria from playing in his natural role and producing the magic he had so often served up at the Bernabeu. Furthermore, he also found it generally difficult to settle in England, impacted by an attempted burglary on his home in February 2015.
"I was at Manchester and everything was fine with Van Gaal during the first two months," he told ESPN Redes in Argentina. "After one fight, things weren't the same. The relationship wasn't the same. "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."
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