Former Manchester United winger Angel Di Maria has revealed that he ‘didn’t give a f***’ about being handed the famous no. 7 shirt after signing from Real Madrid.
As reported by the BBC at the time of the transfer, Man United parted ways with £59.7m in order to get Di Maria through the door. On paper, it looked like a world-class acquisition from the Red Devils.
However, not all went to plan, with Di Maria unable to produce his best performances in a Man United shirt and leaving for Paris after just one season at Old Trafford.
The Argentine has now provided some insight into why he struggled in Manchester and was unable to live up to the expectations which came with wearing the no. 7.
He’s quoted by The Sun saying:
“I didn’t give a f*** about the Manchester United No7, 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.”
In the same week that Cristiano Ronaldo has returned to Man United and will presumably inherit the famous no. 7 shirt, which has also been worn by the likes of George Best, Eric Cantona and David Beckham, Di Maria’s comments will likely infuriate the fans.
Of course, they’ll still be disappointed that it didn’t work out, with Di Maria one of the best creative outlets on the planet, but following these bombshell quotes, they won’t miss him one bit…