Angel Di Maria opens up about Louis van Gaal's targeted treatment at Man United
(Courtesy : Getty Images)
The Argentine player had a brief stint at Old Trafford.
Angel Di Maria called his tenure at Manchester United “s**t” and said manager Louis van Gaal only ever criticised him there.
The 38-year-old Argentina legend joined Old Trafford in an unexpected £60 million transfer from Real Madrid during the 2014–15 season.
Under Van Gaal’s leadership, Angel Di Maria’s early, impressive form, however, rapidly deteriorated. After only four goals in 32 games, he was turfed out to Paris Saint-Germain just a year later.
Angel Di Maria now asserts that Van Gaal left him depressed during his time in Manchester due to his backstage manner. The winger, who now plays for Rosario Central, his childhood team, believes he was singled out more than his teammates.
According to Angel Di Maria, Van Gaal would persistently harass him about little errors that he felt were unavoidable as an attacker.
Ander Herrera, a former United teammate, has even supported the veteran’s assertions, stating that Di Maria’s mentality was negatively impacted by Van Gaal’s actions.
Angel Di Maria reveals why Van Gaal always targeted him at Man United
Herrera stated during a sneak peek at the upcoming Netflix series “Angel Di Maria: Breaking Down the Wall”:
“Van Gaal was the type of coach who was very critical when analysing his players’ actions. And I found it surprising that he considered it unacceptable for Angel to make three or four mistakes per game.
In a clip, Di Maria said:
“We were winning, I was making assists and scoring, but he didn’t mention that.
“He only ever wanted to talk about the mistakes. Identifying and learning from your mistakes is crucial, of course.“
“But given my position as a forward, I’m bound to make mistakes because I’m always trying.
“Di Maria summed things up by adding: ‘I had sold more jerseys than anyone else upon my arrival to the Premier League, so I was finding myself under a lot of pressure. Really, that year was s***.'”
For how many seasons did Di Maria play at United?
He played there for only a season.
How many goals did Di Maria score at United?
He scored four goals in 32 games.
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After earning a bachelor's degree in mass media, Rajarshi began his career as a sports writer in 2019, driven by his passion for sports journalism. He has been working in the field for over six years. A devoted fan of Lionel Messi and Barcelona, Rajarshi has been involved in sports since childhood. Before turning his focus to journalism, he even represented his college at the state level. Along with covering football, he enjoys playing the game, watching movies, and experimenting with new recipes in his spare time, as cooking is one of his favorite hobbies.