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Angel Di Maria: 'It's difficult to adapt to Van Gaal'

Reuters

Angel Di Maria ended his Manchester United career after just one season, partly because of manager Louis van Gaal.

The Argentine revealed in an interview that he had trouble playing under Van Gaal, whose philosophy forced Di Maria out of his favourite position and onto the wing.

"It's difficult to adapt to Van Gaal," he told ESPN Radio Argentina, as translated by Marca. "He has his own philosophy and that was one of the reasons I wanted to leave Manchester United."

United bought Di Maria for a British-record £59.7 million from Real Madrid in 2014. He started well enough, recording three goals and three assists in his first four Premier League games. But he would not score again in the Premier League, as Van Gaal tried to play him in different parts of the field.

"I had a couple of run-ins with him. I started very well and after that I got injured," Di Maria said. "Things weren't working for me and the coach changed my position."

He didn't hesitate to leave for Paris Saint-Germain this summer in a £44-million deal, making his PSG debut as a substitute in a 3-0 win over Monaco on Sunday.

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