Di Maria the perfect solution for United

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On Wednesday, August, 27, Manchester United announced that they had signed Ángel Di María from Real Madrid for a British-transfer-record of £59.7million, dwarfing Fernando Torres’ fee of £50million to Chelsea.

What Di María can bring to Manchester United is something they were considerably lacking for the whole of last season’s miserable campaign under David Moyes, a midfielder who can drop deep, pick the ball up, and drive at defences with vigour.

Under Moyes, the midfield was filled with a depleted Michael Carrick and an over-priced Marouane Fellaini, who hasn’t performed to the quality United expected after spending £27.5million on him.

Those two midfielders lacked confidence, were consistently sitting deep in their roles – too deep in fact – and failed to penetrate the opposition’s defence.

Manchester United were guilty of not creating enough chances and providing limited service to the attackers, and this was a key factor.

Last season, Di María was deployed as a central midfielder – he’s a player that can pick the ball up and find a player within a split-second but can provide you with another dimension, that being running at your defence with pace.

The unpredictability of Di María makes it very hard for defenders to contain him and it is to no shock that he recorded the most assists in the top five leagues last season. He’s an assist-machine.

From a boy that was sold to Rosario Central from Torito for 35 footballs to winning Real Madrid La Decima, Ángel Di María’s rapid progress to the world’s elite list has been nothing short of amazing. To be awarded Man of The Match by Sir Alex Ferguson on club level’s biggest stage is one of the best awards to win – and he deserved every bit of that recognition.

In Madrid, they call him ‘El Fideo’- The Noodle. Because of his slim upper frame and long legs. On his departure from Real Madrid, Xabi Alonso tweeted:

“Nunca olvidaremos el zigzag de la prórroga en Lisboa,” is translated as “Never forget the zigzag in Lisbon” – you can see how much El Fideo meant to Madridstas and how much of an importance he was to them.

Di María’s main assets to his game are his pace, intelligence and engine. His pace will be welcome at United, who sincerely lacked that thrust in the final third last season. He can provide that penetration past the final man.

His intelligence of being able to pick out the right man with a cutting pass from anywhere on the pitch is a vital attribute you need if you want to excel in the Premier League – and he’s definitely got it, as shown by his array of passes against Burnley.

His engine, not looked at as his best attribute, is what makes him able to create all these chances, at any given moment. It is the main reason why United paid so much for the Argentinian. He brings new energy, even in the dying minutes of the game, into the team and is a breath of fresh air.

Even in the remaining time of the Champions League final, when it looked like the game was destined to be decided on penalties, Di Maria – like the workhorse he is – carries on pumping away and provides a mesmerising run down the left which eventually allowed Gareth Bale to win Real Madrid’s long-awaited La Decima.

People will recognise winning La Decima with Di María’s input more than Bale who scored the goal. Without El Fideo, that chance nor attack would have been created and, consequently, the game would most probably have gone to penalties.

This is the reason why Di María was bought by Manchester United. We are currently lacking an engine-type player, and he can provide that with ease. He never stops working for the team.

As seen against Burnley, Di María, in the space of 69 minutes created chances, showed his array of passes – short and long, and delighted us with his pace and vision.

He will excel in the Premier League with this type of attacking, intelligent and innovative style, and especially under Louis van Gaal – he can be moulded into one of the best in the Premier League.

In a 4-3-3 formation, you can plant Di María on the wing, but he drifts in so often, he can be utilised in the middle of the park with Juan Mata rotating with him out wide.

With this type of set-up – Van Gaal’s preferred formation – you will see Manchester United at their best. With a solid core, a compact midfield and a creative front three, there should be balance reinstalled into the squad.

It’ll be interesting to see after the International break which formation Louis van Gaal adopts with new players coming into the frame.

I’d much rather see the 4-3-3 formation than the 3-5-2 set-up we’re currently witnessing due to its more fluidity and solidity.

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