Manchester United Transfer News: Angel Di Maria a Big Loss, Says Louis Van Gaal

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has admitted that Angel Di Maria will be a tough man to replace at Old Trafford this season, citing the new Paris Saint-Germain midfielder as a “big loss” for his Red Devils squad.

Di Maria completed his move to the French champions on Thursday and just one day away from the Premier League getting started, United look a little short of attacking options; Van Gaal has admitted it’s something he’ll have to address before the transfer window closes, per Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News:

"

So Di Maria, okay, we have solved that problem before the competition starts but for us it is a big loss.

I want more attackers with speed and creativity. Di Maria is one of those players. We have to look for that kind of player. Of course, they have to have the talent to cope with the English rhythm and that is difficult to find.

Because that is mostly also why players are not succeeding in this competition, because of the rhythm of the game and the English culture is not the Latin culture, so that is also maybe a reason.

"

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Di Maria’s sale has divided the United fanbase. On the one hand, there are plenty of Red Devils fanatics who will think back to how impressively the midfielder started the previous campaign. In a team that looks a lot more sturdy going into this season, there was a better platform upon which Di Maria could have dazzled.

James Robson of the Manchester Evening News thinks that with a little more patience, the player could have thrived again at Old Trafford:

But there are plenty that have been very critical of Di Maria for seemingly giving up on United and not having the desire to make it in the Premier League. In the latter stages of the season there were times when the ex-Real Madrid man did look a little disinterested, especially when his place in the team was taken by Ashley Young.

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Bleacher Report’s Rob Blanchette definitely thinks Di Maria could have done more:

It’s peculiar that such an outstanding player who enjoyed such a scintillating start—usually the most difficult obstacle for foreign players to overcome in the Premier League—tailed off quite so badly. Even Van Gaal was at a loss to explain why things turned sour.

“He started very well, that's not the problem," the Dutchman said, per Luckhurt’s piece. "He had a very good start but he knows the answer better than I know, but it happens and then there's only one solution. What he has done.”

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It’s a spell in his career which the Argentina star will most likely lament on reflection. Di Maria himself was actually apologetic in an open letter he sent to United supporters after his move was confirmed, per Sky Sports News HQ:

For the Premier League, it’s a massive shame. There are very few genuine world-class players in the top flight of English football, but at his best Di Maria is definitely in that bracket. Eventually, it seems as though some unsettling off-field events, poor management and a questionable attitude all conspired to make it a season to forget for the 27-year-old.

United need to move forward, though. And quickly. The club has done some excellent work to bolster the defence and midfield this summer, but if there is no star quality at the sharp end of the pitch to put chances away, the Red Devils will struggle.