Angel Di Maria has launched a blistering attack on Manchester United and claims he ‘didn’t give a f***’ about inheriting the club’s iconic No.7 shirt.
The famous jersey has been synonymous with a series of totemic figures including the likes of Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona, David Beckham and more recently Cristiano Ronaldo.
After a 12-year absence, Ronaldo’s sensational return to Old Trafford was confirmed last Friday after United beat local rivals Manchester City to the signing of the five-times Ballon d’Or winner.
The 36-year-old is in line to make his second debut for the Red Devils next weekend against Newcastle United, but it is yet to be confirmed whether or not he will reclaim his favourite squad number.
United are reported to have written to the Premier League, asking for special dispensation which would see Edinson Cavani take the No.21 shirt and vacate the number which has become synonymous with Ronaldo.
Di Maria, a former teammate of Ronaldo’s at Real Madrid, meanwhile, struggled to adapt to the rigours of English football following his ill-fated move to United and admits he failed to comprehend the significance of being handed the responsibility of taking the No.7 shirt himself.
The Manchester United No.7,’ Di Maria was quoted telling Libero on TyC Sports as cited by Sports Central: ‘I didn’t give a f*** about it. ‘At first they talked to me a lot about it… it was just a shirt.
After just a solitary season in the Premier League, Di Maria moved to Paris Saint-Germain and has steadily rebuilt his reputation as one of European football’s most potent wingers.
Di Maria has never been able to forget that miserable spell in Manchester, however, and continues to reserve special ire for Louis van Gaal, who he believes ruined any chance he had of succeeding at the Theatre of Dreams.
He added: ‘My problem at Manchester was the coach. Van Gaal was the worst of my career. ‘I would score, assist, and the next day he would show me my misplaced passes. ‘He displaced me from one day to the other, he didn’t like players being more than him.
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