Angel di Maria is a class act, but where does he best fit in to Louis van Gaal’s Manchester United?
WHAT do you do with a problem like di Maria? Louis van Gaal has his prized signing for a record $109 million, but where does he actually fit into Manchester United’s puzzle?
FIRST came Marouane Fellaini. Then Juan Mata arrived in January to much relief. Now, Angel di Maria arrives, smashing the British transfer record to, as Manchester United will tell you, prove there is life yet at Old Trafford.
The 26-year-old is a player of fine pedigree, probably just on the rung below the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Yet is this the signing Louis van Gaal craves, or another panic buy worth smashing the British transfer record for? Worth it, you say so far, with 54% of users at the time of writing arguing he is worth it despite the $109m price tag - clearly inflated due to United’s low bargaining position.
THE DI MARIA CV: WATCH THE VIDEO AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE
$109M ANGEL ARRIVES TO SAVE UNITED
So, what do you do with a problem like di Maria?
A MORALE BOOST, A ‘UNITED SIGNING’, BUT NOT A QUICK FIX
United are in desperate need for a morale boost and Di Maria’s arrival brings box office back to a side currently not playing in Europe.
“It’s good business,” club legend Gary Neville said. “United have lost their negotiation strength but they just need to get the right players. This one is.
“He’ll get pace into the game and get from box to box. He’s the right signing. You could argue they need other players in other areas but they definitely need a wide player.”
While anyone who has watched United’s games against Swansea and Sunderland will tell you they look perilously short through the centre of the field, Neville says luring di Maria isn’t shirking those deficiencies, nor is it adding the icing on a cake that is yet to be baked. It’s the first part of the recipe.
“The fans say a central midfielder or a centre-back is needed more, but I don’t see any difference with a winger in that they need all three,” he said.
“This is the first part of that - the correct signing, if they can get him.”
Speaking on Sky Sports, he added: “He can run and Manchester United haven’t got any pace in wide areas.
“It is incredible.
“That is what the club has been built on for the last 10 to 15 years - being able to get from box to box quickly, being able to spring on teams, having people that can dribble and are quick in the final third.
“They have Adnan Januzaj but they really have lost that variety.”
United fans will hope di Maria’s arrival might convince the likes of Nigel de Jong, Daley Blind and - as unlikely as it now seems - Arturo Vidal, to join the revival.
CAN’T WASTE $109m ON A WING-BACK!
But surely this consigns van Gaal’s 3-5-2 formation to the bin; you can’t spend $109m on a wing-back, can you?
The answer is that di Maria is far more diverse and adaptable than being described as just a left winger. In a full strength United side, van Gaal could deploy Luke Shaw down the left of his 3-5-2, with di Maria tucked inside him, alongside, perhaps Ander Herrera and Michael Carrick.
Alternatively, if van Gaal wants to build a new system to best suit Di Maria, he starred last season for Real Madrid on the left in a ‘midfield three’, or on the right, where he can cut onto his preferred left peg. With Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo hogging the headlines ahead of him, di Maria chimed in both with his passing game, movement and dribbling ability.
It is the same with Argentina, where he has 52 caps and his absence through injury was seen as one of the key factors that swung the World Cup final towards Germany.
YOUR VOTE: WHAT FORMATION SHOULD VAN GAAL PLAY TO ACCOMMODATE DI MARIA?
A 4-4-2 or 4-2-3-1 would appear to best incorporate the likes of Mata or Januzaj at the same time; but that might not be van Gaal’s priority, particularly after spending so long on honing the 3-5-2 in pre-season. So Mata may find himself back on the left again, or the Dutch manager may look to continue to experiment with their Belgian youngster in a more hands-on, central position.
UNSUNG HERO
Di Maria has an ability to bring the best out of teammates and is an unsung hero with a good game sense and incredible fitness. Often for Real Madrid he’d have to cover for Marcelo or Fabio Coentrao’s defensive deficiencies; or fill gaps when the likes of Luka Modric sauntered forward.
Indeed, he was the one who made the lung-busting effort to tee up Gareth Bale’s goal in extra-time in last season’s UEFA Champions League final against Atletico and despite not enjoying the best of outings in Argentina’s round of 16 tie against Switzerland, he scored the elusive winner with two minutes left in extra-time, before playing supplier to Lionel Messi in the quarter-final against Belgium.
Simply, di Maria is a great player, but not the greatest to ever move to England, as his transfer fee positions him as. His nickname Fideo, meaning ‘the Noodle’ is a reference to his skinny frame, another potential hurdle as he tries to quickly settle into Premier League life.
Real Madrid’s penchant for glamour has cost them one of the heartbeats of their side. But at United, likely with the No.7 shirt on once adorned by George Best, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona, David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo, he will need to be so much more than an unsung hero, while also continuing to feed Rooney and van Persie as he has done for Ronaldo, Bale, Messi and Sergio Aguero.
Originally published as Angel di Maria is a class act, but where does he best fit in to Louis van Gaal’s Manchester United?