Manchester United vs. Manchester City: Why Angel Di Maria Deserves a Recall

Manchester United’s impressive form in the last month may have coincided with Angel Di Maria’s spell out of the team, but the Argentine deserves to be recalled ahead of the Manchester derby this weekend.

Suspended for the win over Tottenham Hotspur but a second-half substitute in victories against Liverpool and Aston Villa, two games in which he registered an assist, Di Maria has done enough to return to the starting lineup against Manchester City.

In what has been a difficult season for the 27-year-old, one compelling statistic stands out: Di Maria has been directly involved in 14 of the 29 Premier League goals United have scored when he’s been on the pitch. It’s a remarkable record, one that few players can match.

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With United certain to utilise a 4-1-4-1/4-3-3 system that has proven so effective in recent weeks, the obvious candidate to make way for Di Maria is Ashley Young, who has been good rather than great during the last three games.

Against Aston Villa, Young linked up nicely with Daley Blind at left-back and terrorised Alan Hutton, but his end product lacked quality. Di Maria, by contrast, provided the cross for United’s second goal on the day in what was a promising 20-minute cameo at the end of the game.

Wayne Rooney’s majestic touch and finish clearly made the most of what was a speculative cross into the box, but it was a passage of play that summed up what Di Maria has to offer.

Only Cesc Fabregas (16) has more assists than the Argentine this season (10), which is why Louis van Gaal should look to utilise Di Maria’s natural creativity in a game where chances are likely to be few and far between.

Even at his very worst this season, he has conjured up moments of brilliance that have led to goals and won United points in the race for a top-four finish.

Young, despite playing at left-wing-back for long spells, has just one goal and one assist to his name in the current campaign. That’s why Di Maria’s ability to contribute to United’s goals total warrants a return.

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This weekend’s derby against City will likely prove to be a tight and nervy affair, one where an individual error or individual piece of brilliance could decide the game.

For that reason, Di Maria’s return to the fold makes sense. He is creating a chance once every 33 minutes, which is better than any other United player by some distance, and has four times as many assists to his name as any of his team-mates. 

His record against the big teams in the Premier League this season—Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool—is generally very good. He delivered an excellent free-kick that led to United’s equaliser against Chelsea and provided the assists to Rooney’s goal against Arsenal and Juan Mata’s second goal against Liverpool, both of which turned out to be winners.

Even if it comes at the expense of some wayward passes and an erratic performance, Di Maria has the quality to make a difference against City and must therefore start in what could be the game that seals United’s place in the top four this season.


All statistics via WhoScored.com and Squawka.com.

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