Manchester United Signed Angel Di Maria 'To Sell Shirts,' Says Former Translator

Manchester United signed Angel Di Maria because they "wanted to sell shirts" and not because they thought the Argentinian would take them to silverware success on the pitch. 

That's according to Debora Gomes, who served as a translator at Old Trafford during Di Maria's one-season stay with United following his move from Real Madrid in 2014.

She told Brazilian broadcaster Esporte Interativo (h/t the Mirror's Jake Polden):

"I noticed a lot. So much so that I had the opportunity to talk to him. And he was unhappy at the club.

"Firstly, he couldn't communicate with anyone. And second because he realised the club bought him not because the club thought 'oh, he will bring titles to us because he is a good player.'

"No. Because they simply wanted to sell his shirts. This I heard inside the club, the people talking. 'Di Maria sells T-shirts, so let's buy him.' So he was not happy."

It's nothing out of the ordinary for a player to be signed with the intent of marketing their name to fans and targeting a revenue boost, but Di Maria was perhaps too expensive to take such a risk.

The 29-year-old struggled to fit the system either as a winger or in a No. 10 role. 

Despite the success former Benfica star Di Maria enjoyed during his four years at Madrid, his solitary year in England has seen him go down in infamy as one of the biggest Premier League flops in recent memory.

Gomes' claims would help explain why the South American's stay in Manchester was so unproductive, and ESPN's Alex Shaw tweeted in the summer to provide more context on the transfer:

The Red Devils broke their transfer record to recruit Di Maria in a £59.7 million deal from Madrid, but he left the club after only 32 appearances following a miserable spell under then-manager Louis van Gaal. 

United had been so eager to forget Di Maria's spell at the club that Full Time Devils nodded to his omission from a list on which he should have featured:

Di Maria moved to Paris Saint-Germain from United in 2015 and has been enjoying his football far more in the French capital, regaining form closer to what we saw from him at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.

Gomes' claim doesn't shine a flattering light on United in terms of transfer strategy, though, with fans hoping genuine quality trumps potential merchandise value every time.