Di Maria: I wasn’t happy and didn’t get on with LVG

Angel Di Maria has admitted he was not happy at Manchester United after failing to settle in England or build a bond with Louis van Gaal.

Di Maria left United for Paris Saint-Germain in a €63 million deal earlier this summer and will on Tuesday night make his first appearance in the Champions League since helping Real Madrid beat Atletico Madrid in the 2014 final.

A season without European football was one of several contributory factors to an unhappy spell for Di Maria in the Premier League.

“Last season was tough for me. I didn’t play much and it was difficult watching the Champions League on television when I had won it the season before with Madrid,” Di Maria told Le Parisien.

“On Tuesday I will feel the same emotion as I have every time since my first match for Benfica. It is a magnificent competition.”

Di Maria, whose house was broken into while he and his family were inside, said of life in England: “Honestly, we were not happy. At the beginning, we were a little. But then things became complicated. Life in England was a bit difficult. It is not easy for a South American. Some people get on fine, and for others it is harder to adapt.

“I didn’t get on very well with the coach, so I think the decision to join Paris was the best solution. After [the break-in] it wasn’t reasonable to stay. My family wasn’t happy. My daughter was suffering. So it was important to leave.

“From the little I have seen, our life here in France resembles more the life we led in Spain or Portugal. And at the moment we are 100 percent satisfied.”

Di Maria made his first start for PSG in a 2-2 draw with Bordeaux in Ligue 1 on Friday night, and the Argentina winger has been impressed by one of his team-mates, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, in particular.

“I have been lucky enough to play with Leo [Messi], Cristiano [Ronaldo] and [Wayne] Rooney. And now Ibra,” he said.

“Frankly, I am impressed by his technical quality and his movement. He is on the same level as Leo and ‘CR7.’ They are players who can make the difference near the penalty area.”