Angel Di Maria Can Outstrip Falcao, Rooney, Van Persie as Man United's Main Man

Angel Di Maria announced his presence in the Premier League on Sunday.

By his standards, it was a quiet start on his debut against Burnley. There were flashes, yes, but it always had the feel of a warm-up. At Turf Moor, he dipped his toe in the water to see what it was like.

At Old Trafford against QPR, he just dived straight in.

The Manchester United fans there to witness his home debut will have known plenty about him already. They will have seen enough of La Liga and the World Cup to know he's lightning-quick and technically excellent with a handy knack for creating and scoring goals.

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But to see it all in a United shirt is something else.

The United fans headed to Old Trafford on Sunday to watch a star-studded team. They went to see Radamel Falcao, Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie and Juan Mata, as well as Di Maria. But there was only one who stole the show.

It's a measure of the Argentinian's performance that he managed to steal all the headlines.

It wasn't that Rooney, Mata and Van Persie were poor. Quite the opposite, in fact. It was just that Di Maria was that good.

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Rooney, Van Persie, Falcao and Mata are all used to taking the star turn. Rooney is captain of England, Van Persie the captain of Holland. Falcao was the headline act for both Porto and Atletico Madrid. It was the same for Mata at Chelsea.

Di Maria played in the shadow of Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid, but he's quickly become the star attraction at Old Trafford.

With Di Maria, Rooney, Van Persie, Falcao and Mata in his squad, Louis van Gaal has some decisions to make before he picks a team to play Leicester City on Sunday.

There are arguments of varying strengths that any one of them should be the one to miss out if Van Gaal doesn't think he can start with all five. Well, anyone except Di Maria.

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It's still very early in his United career. But if he can recreate his performance against QPR regularly, then he will come to exert the same influence as some of the club's most famous No. 7s. 

And if he's worthy of mention alongside George Best, Eric Cantona and Ronaldo by the time he leaves, then £59.7 million will have been a bargain.

Van Gaal has collected a galaxy of stars at United. The "Gaalacticos," according to some headline writers.

But Di Maria has given notice he is ready to outshine them all, to take centre stage in an all-star cast.