Angel Di Maria is one of the key players at Paris Saint-Germain and the winger serves as a dependable figure for PSG boss Thomas Tuchel. Di Maria, however, once played for Manchester United and his brief spell failed to impress. Club legends Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand tried to make clear why the Argentine bombed.
The midfielder debuted at Old Trafford in 2015 with high expectations. He was a £60 million signing by Louis Van Gaal and touted to add creativity to the squad immediately after the illustrious reign of Sir Alex Ferguson.
Di Maria, however, ended the season with only four goals and 12 assists and was soon sold to the Parisians. His departure also triggered hatred from United supporters and the Argentine's short stay in Manchester was generally characterized as a flop, according to Sport Bible.
But things could have been different for the former United man and Rooney, Di Maria's former teammate, recalled that the Argentine had to deal with serious distractions that might have affected his play.
"At the time we were going through a bit of a transition and it was tough for him to settle. He had young kids and lived a couple of houses down from me and someone tried to burgle him. I remember that really shook him and his family," the former United captain was reported as saying.
If not for those troubles, Rooney claimed Di Maria was a team star in the making and the Argentine has the qualities to succeed. The former captain revealed that his teammate worked hard in training and on the pitch and his brilliance was known to the squad.
Unfortunately, the problematic situation got the better of Di Maria and it proved that a change of setting was something that player badly needed. In the end, Di Maria's departure benefitted him and United as well, Rooney said.
Ferdinand agreed that Di Maria's time with the Red Devils was rather forgettable. But for the former United defender, it didn't work for the PSG star at Old Trafford because he had no intention to be the main man, as designed by Van Gaal.
"I think this guy is a player that is happy playing back-up, being the co-star to the superstars," The Mirror reported Ferdinand as saying.
The club hero explained that Di Maria excelled best in support of the club superstars. It was how the Argentine operated with Real Madrid in support of Cristiano Ronaldo and the same was seen with Argentina, where the 33-year-old played to make Lionel Messi shine.
Di Maria is doing the exact thing in PSG. His presence with the French giants seemed to highlight the brilliance of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, and Ferdinand said the veteran appeared happy on what he does best.
Ferdinand noted that Di Maria shines while making things happen for the club superstars, and that quality makes him "an excellent footballer."
