Man Utd mustn’t be rash and let Di Maria go so soon – here’s why.
Manchester United are looking set to sell Angel Di Maria to Paris Saint-Germain this summer in what would be a rash move, so here’s five reasons the Red Devils must seriously push for him to stay at least one more season at Old Trafford…
1) He’ll be in a better, more settled team
Last season saw Di Maria arrive as part of a flurry of new signings, along with a new manager. Now the club is far more settled, with only a few quality additions coming in in the form of Memphis Depay, Matteo Darmian, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin. Back in the top four, United will surely grow in confidence and improve further this season, and Di Maria could be a big part of that.
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2) He’ll get a pre-season with the club
Although there is some risk of fatigue after reaching the Copa America final with Argentina, Di Maria is set to join up with his club team-mates for pre-season training and friendlies, which will give the South American attacker a chance to really gel with his team and bed in nicely to the side, which he couldn’t do last year as he joined after the season had already begun.
3) He should be used to the lack of winter break
It’s easy to forget that Di Maria’s form only really dipped in the second half of the season last term, as he struggled with the lack of a winter break that players get in Spain. The 27-year-old should now be better equipped to deal with that change in schedule after having a full season to settle in England.
4) He can provide good Champions League experience
With United back in the Champions League, they can’t afford to be losing an experienced and proven winner at this level only to replace him with a youngster like Memphis Depay, who, although talented, is not yet ready to step into Di Maria’s boots. Playing in Europe may also come more naturally to Di Maria than the stlye of domestic football in the Premier League.
5) Replacements look out of reach
United are being linked with moves for Real Madrid pair Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale, both of whom could make great replacements for Di Maria, but both of whom are also far too expensive to be considered realistic targets. Anyone else available for a reasonable price if not necessarily a big upgrade on the Argentine, so why not give him another season instead of having to bring in another newbie to settle in?