It seems that Jose Mourinho has spent the past two months or more lamenting the lack of signings that Manchester United have made for the 2018/2019 season. But regardless of the Portuguese’s “please sir, can I have some more?” approach to Ed Woodward over his central defenders, the Red Devils are stuck with what they’ve got until at least January. And let’s face it, while this current United squad could certainly be improved upon, it’s not the worst group of players the Old Trafford outfit have ever had.
On that topic then, while Manchester United are England’s most successful clubs and one of the very biggest clubs in world football, that’s not to say that they’ve not had their fair share of utterly abysmal signings. Whether you’re a footballing giant or a semi-professional minnow of the game, there are always going to be those signings that end up becoming legends at a club, and those other signings that end up being total and utter flops. And let’s not make any mistake, the almighty Manchester United have most definitely had their share of flops.
The Argentinian is still one of the very best attacking players in the world to this day, but his time at Old Trafford is one that was quite frankly miserable; miserable to watch, miserable for him, and clearly miserable for his manager at the time, Louis van Gaal.
United actually broke the British transfer record when they signed Di Maria from Real Madrid for a hefty £60 million pound, with van Gaal lamenting how the Red Devils desperately needed a quick, direct player who could run with the ball. Given how his pace, directness, and dribbling ability were all at the highest level, you’d think Di Maria would be the perfect solution to van Gaal’s problem.
Only he wasn’t, because the former Ajax and FC Bayern chief then decided to stifle Di Maria’s creativity and discourage him from running with the ball. Odd? Sure. But then van Gaal’s time in the Old Trafford dugout was one often filled with odd decisions.
After just a solitary season at United, Di Maria was sold to Paris St-Germain for a reported £44 million. Still only 30 years of age, the Argentine is continuing to prove to be a top quality player for the Ligue 1 Champions. And while he is rightly viewed as one of the worst signings in Manchester United history, you can’t help but feel sorry for the player given the restrictions forced upon him by van Gaal.