Paul Scholes Questions Angel Di Maria and Louis Van Gaal Body Language

Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes believes both Louis van Gaal and Angel di Maria are somewhat subdued at present and fears the current mood in the Red Devils camp is not positive.

The Old Trafford outfit have had a poor start to the season, compounded by their recent 1-0 loss to local rivals Manchester City on Sunday, which condemned them to their worst opening to a term since 1986.

Indeed, they have just 13 points from 10 Premier League games with just three wins, and Van Gaal has had a poorer start even than David Moyes last season, per WhoScored.com:

United legend Scholes, writing in The Independent, has questioned the Dutchman's touchline body language, suggesting it is very different from during his highly successful summer World Cup campaign with the Netherlands:

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It is difficult to figure out what Van Gaal is thinking during games. His demeanour doesn’t change throughout. He looks a bit subdued. Certainly, he appears very different to the man you saw on the touchline at the World Cup. 

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It is certainly true that, unlike many other managers, Van Gaal spends the vast majority of his time watching seated from the dugout rather than gesticulating in his technical area.

However, Dutch football writer Elko Born was disdainful of any suggestion that this makes a difference to performances on the pitch:

While it has certainly been a tough start to the season for United with only three league wins, there are signs of progress under Van Gaal, per football writer Miguel Delaney:

The club's current issues stem significantly from a horrendously weak defensive unit which seems incapable of consistency and constantly leaves the excellent David de Gea exposed.

In terms of going forward, United look to be edging closer to the blistering style they used to play under Sir Alex Ferguson.

However, Scholes believes summer addition Di Maria—who has scored three times since his arrival, per WhoScored, but not netted in the last three—is currently not happy, per The Independent:

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My concern is that the mood among the United players feels a bit low-key. Preparing for the broadcast of the game in Madrid this week, I watched reruns of last season and Angel Di Maria smiling broadly as he celebrated goal after goal with Cristiano Ronaldo. He doesn’t seem to be in the same happy mood at United. It feels downbeat among the team.

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Certainly in the recent games against City and Chelsea, the Argentinian winger has failed to impact proceedings as much as he did in his first appearances for the club.

As BT Sport's Ian Darke assessed, Van Gaal's decision to play him wider in the formation has negatively affected the Argentine and no doubt led to some frustration for the former Real Madrid man:

He is clearly United's best player and they need him to be on the ball as much as possible, thus a move to a more central, roaming position may well benefit the team as a whole.

There is undoubtedly likely to be some negative body language among a team who are not performing as they expect to be, but it is unlikely to be the cause of poor performances.

In glimpses this season, United have shown they have the capabilities to be a top-four team once again, especially if they can bring in defensive reinforcements in January.

After two tough games against City and Chelsea—which garnered just one point—United host Crystal Palace on Saturday, presenting an ideal opportunity to return to winning ways.