The form of Manchester United’s £60m signing Angel di Maria has been much discussed over the past few weeks as the promising signs the Argentine showed in the early days following his move from Real Madrid drift from the memory.
There have been various theories posited as to why Di Maria has failed to settle – some tactical, some personal – but what is clear is that United really need to solve their problem called Di Maria if the Louis van Gaal era is to take off.
Gary Neville is the latest to speculate as to why the 27-year-old has failed to deliver the kind of form that made him one of the most coveted players in world football.
In his Telegraph Sport column Neville cites three main reasons for Di Maria’s problems:
1) He never actually wanted to leave Real Madrid – a club who, for a South American like Di Maria, represented the pinnacle of the world game.
2) The trauma of the burglary at his home in Manchester earlier this year has left him deeply unsettled.
3) The constant shuffling and re-shuffling of Van Gaal’s tactics.
Neville explains:
“All of those are factors that would go some way to explaining why Di Maria has struggled after his bright start, but I feel as though I have a parrot on either shoulder, with one telling me to give the benefit of the doubt because of those reasons while the other is saying that, actually, the time has come for a £60m player to deliver.
“What I won’t fall for are the reasons some are giving, which I would call excuses, such as injuries – Di Maria has been out with hamstring and pelvic problems – the fatigue factor from playing in the World Cup and the inexplicably poor record of South American players at United.”
What is clear from reading the former Manchester United defender’s thoughts is that whatever the problems, Di Maria needs to put them aside soon and start delivering otherwise his stay in Manchester may be a short one.
Neville’s column in full is available on Telegraph Sport.
