Angel Di Maria's Cameo Against Aston Villa Shows His Value to Manchester United

Manchester United brought Angel Di Maria on for Ashley Young after 70 minutes of their win over Aston Villa on Saturday, and nine minutes later, he set up a goal.

The second part of that sentence would have been little surprise to anyone when Di Maria signed. His assist record over recent seasons is so consistent that the idea that he would set up goals at United was hardly a stretch.

Going back nine months, though, the idea that Young would be keeping the Argentinian out of the starting XI would have been a little harder to countenance.

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If we take as read the idea that United's past three games have represented their best performances of the season—and certainly it is hard to argue that the Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool games were a peak—it is clear that it is without Di Maria that United have found their best balance and rhythm.

In the run up to his red card against Arsenal, "El Fideo" was clearly out of form. When he was substituted at half-time against Sunderland at the end of February, few were sad to see him replaced by Adnan Januzaj.

The following game against Newcastle United saw a similar pattern. This time he lasted until the hour mark, in what was another dreadful performance. His passing in that game was particularly poor. He gave the ball away 36.4 percent of the time he attempted to find a team-mate.

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Thus, the suspension which followed the Arsenal game allowed Louis van Gaal to build a team without Di Maria's involvement, and in doing so, he has stumbled across a well-balanced system, which has brought with it three top-drawer performances.

However, there is a paradox at work here, because in what has certainly been a challenging first season, Di Maria has, without question, been one of United's most important players.

He has 10 league assists, which is the second best of any Premier League player. It puts him No. 1 in United's assist charts by a long way—several players are tied in second with four.

Half of those assists have come in games in which the goal he set up had a direct impact on the result—one-goal victories or draws. Indeed, a total of 13 points have hinged specifically on those goals.

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He has outperformed his team-mates in terms of chance creation—an average 2.2 key passes per league game gives him a comfortable lead over Wayne Rooney's 1.5 in that particular table.

He has also made an assist in each of his last three appearances for United, and there are some signs that he is rediscovering the form which seems to have eluded him—for the most part—since he went off injured against Hull City in November last year.

His cameo against Villa showed just what he has to offer United. He provided the cross for Rooney's superb goal. Although it was a cross which required brilliance from the striker to bring it under control, the buildup to the pass was typical Di Maria, as he used pace and skill to make himself space.

He also engineered some important counter-attacks, picking up possession deep in his own half and using his speed to stretch the play to relieve pressure on his team.

His brief appearances also showed that there is certainly room for him in United's current system. On Sunday, the club's official website quoted Van Gaal as saying: "Di Maria, his turn is coming but I have to wait for the right moment."

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Although Young has kept the Argentinian out of the side on merit in terms of form, Di Maria's output over the past few seasons—and indeed this season—is streets ahead of the Englishman. He could also play in the role Marouane Fellaini is currently occupying on the left-hand side of attacking midfield.

Of the three goals United scored on Saturday, two were scored in the 20-minute spell at the end of the game in which Di Maria was on the pitch. Watching from the stands, that did not feel like a coincidence. His directness was used to great effect against a tired Villa back line.

The oft-used adage, "form is temporary, class is permanent," would certainly seem to apply here. It has been a difficult winter for Di Maria, but perhaps it will be a brighter spring.

If it is, United's already improved performances might just get even better.

All statistics per WhoScored.com