Di Maria ‘turns TV off when Man Utd are on he hates club so much’

Angel Di Maria’s time at Manchester United left such a bitter taste and he hates the club so much he now turns off the TV whenever they play, it has been claimed.

The Argentine was signed by Louis van Gaal for a then club record £59.7m in the summer of 2014 but failed to settle in Manchester and eventually moved to PSG for £44m just a year later.

Now 32, the winger remains at PSG but has occasionally been linked back with moves to Old Trafford during his five-year stint in the French capital.

However, comments made Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Bulka – who signed from Chelsea last summer – will surely put an end to those claims.

Speaking to the Polish football YouTube channel Foot Truck about Di Maria, Bulka said: “Di Maria hates Manchester United.

“He has no good memory of the time he spent there.

“In fact, when something related to Manchester United appears on television, it changes soon.”

Di Maria appeared to struggle with the level of expectations placed on him during his time at Old Trafford, not least for wearing the coveted No 7 shirt worn with such grace by the likes of David Beckham, Eric Cantona and Cristiano Ronaldo in recent times.

The former Real Madrid man made a bright start at Old Trafford, scoring three goals and chipping in with four assists in his first six Premier League games. But he soon faded fast and had some words of criticism for Van Gaal last year when he returned to Old Trafford with PSG in the Champions League.

A beer bottle was thrown from the crowd towards Di Maria in the second half of the last-16 first leg, with the Argentinian responding by picking it up and seemingly pretending to take a swig from it.

 

 

The former Real Madrid man also appeared to tell a section of United fans to “f*** off” after PSG score, and prior to that was barged into the advertising boards by Ashley Young.

He told Cadena Cope radio: “[The reception] was difficult from the opening minute but I knew this was going to happen.

“But I’ve said it in the past and I reiterate it, I never spoke badly of the people here and of this club.

“These are things that happen and people took it badly. I only had problems with the coach here.”

Asked why he took the No11 jersey upon arriving in Paris, Di Maria told Ligue 1: “I don’t really know. When I arrived, I saw that the No11 was available.

“It’s a shirt number I wore a lot when I was younger, and I was keen to get once again.

“At Real Madrid, No11 was already taken, so I took 22. At Manchester United they gave me No7, I didn’t get a choice.

“I would have liked 11 but there we are. Here, I had a choice, so I chose 11.”

Meanwhile, one current United stars appears to have been given the cold shoulder by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, leading to serious questions over his long-term future.