Opinion: Angel Di Maria must stay at Manchester United

It had been a long time since a player like Angel Di Maria had arrived at Old Trafford. Even Robin van Persie, one of the best in position, didn’t bring that same feeling that we’d just signed the player, the Ronaldo replacement.

Yet now, after a single season, Di Maria moving to Paris Saint-Germain is picking up pace. Whether this is the French version of Duncan Castles bringing misery to non-French United fans, or it is true, it’s a disappointment.

Many have waxed lyrical about Di Maria’s lack of ambition, yet with reports the only thing of substance as of yet, please control yourself and bear in mind that if he stays, which I think he will, next season you will be surrounded by people celebrating at Old Trafford as Di Maria assists yet another goal. That, I am sure of. If he stays, and is surrounded by players like Memphis Depay, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Morgan Schneiderlin and hopefully one of Lewandowski, Benzema, Icardi, Muller or Pedro, the chances he creates will finally be finished.

What is so odd about United fans currently browsing through Twitter is that having slated Radamel Falcao, once he left to join Chelsea after an awful season, they now forget that he was the striker Di Maria was providing for.

Last season at United (Squawka), Di Maria created 51 chances for Falcao, van Persie, Wilson or Rooney or the odd defender who strayed up the pitch. 10 of those resulted in goals. In 6 fewer appearances than Juan Mata, who was consistently praised by United fans at the end of the season, Di Maria created more opportunities for United’s strikers to squander. That’s 1.8 chances created per game but just 0.37 goals scored per game from those chances.

How does that compare to his final, and best, season at Real Madrid? He created 2.6 chances per game there, resulting in 0.5 goals created per game. That is stunning. That season, Di Maria created almost double the chances that Cristiano Ronaldo did. So, taking things into perspective, Di Maria fared well in his first season at United, creating just 0.8 chances per game less.

For every 5.1  chances at United last season, there was one assist for Di Maria. At Real Madrid, for every 5.3 chances there was one assist for Di Maria. This begs the question, is the clinical finishing, or the lack of it, at United really the problem? It seems that it isn’t. What is vital to remember, however, is that playing for Real Madrid dictates that chances and goals are paramount to defensive stability.

Under Louis van Gaal, this is an entirely different idea. Possession, as boring as may have been to watch at times as a United fan, is of paramount importance while keeping a clean sheet, not always happening for United, is also a huge thing. Goals are needed, not chased after. So, at Real Madrid, there is a minor difference in where he created chances.

In the two pictures above, you can see a small difference. Firstly, Di Maria is creating a greater proportions of his chances on the right side of midfield and the centre then the left. But far more importantly, is that 3.3% of his chances created at Real Madrid, which translates in normal language to around 3 chances, were in the bottom third of the pitch, so around his area. That’s not a lot, but shows how he looked for chances more at Real Madrid, slightly.

Another thing that’s important to note is that the whole style of Di Maria’s play has changed at United since joining United and becoming a part of Louis van Gaal’s ‘philosophy’. At United last season he dribbled an average of 1.7 times a game while at Madrid that was just 1.4. In 27 league games at United that translates to 46 dribbles in a season while in a league season at Madrid, he dribbled 47 times, in 7 more games. That indicates that instead of being the man whose job is solely create for Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, at United he is far more the main man.

In terms of shots on goal, Di Maria’s increased his output in that sense at United – another sign of his importance in the United side… when selected. 2.3 shots per game at United and only 1.8 per game at Madrid.

Defensively too, he has increased his quality at United. With 3 less defensive errors at United in the league than Madrid last season, while the average defensive actions has stayed the same but the interceptions and clearances have increased and blocks.

So, I’ve compared him to his best season in career, one that ended with a fantastic World Cup before signing for United having been Man of the Match in the UEFA Champions League final as Madrid won La Decima. But, really, you either have a great first season and a less great second season or you grow into the Premier League as a player. Otherwise, in general, you ‘flop’.

Comparing United’s Di Maria to 2012/13 Real Madrid Di Maria may tell us a bit about how he hasn’t decreased in quality over the last season. In 5 more appearances in La Liga in that season compared to in the Premier League with United, Di Maria created 6 less chances and 4 less goals. He scored 4 more goals so overall his goals created were the same but really, United fans are complaining about the lack of assists, not goals.

What is obvious to me is that United fans have forgotten the first period of the season. I’m a United fan and this is what I did until you remembered from his second game to late November that he was utter class. There was the odd blip, like against Manchester City when United lost 1-0, but Chris Smalling was sent off and United turned more defensive and too structured for Di Maria to shine.

What Di Maria has done last season was by no means a poor output. Of course, for £60 million you would have expected more but I don’t think we should be caring about a fee if we are in fact selling him. Look at what he’s brought us. With 14 goals made last season, that’s a huge impact overall on the squad and that is a big part of what got the Champions League spot.

Di Maria has to stay for me because it is quite clear that he hasn’t decreased in quality. After the turn of the year, his confidence may have decreased but he had a good Copa America and if Sergio Romero or Nicolas Otamendi comes in, that’s another Argentine in the squad for Di Maria to speak to.

He has had a less good season than his best one, for sure. Is that bad? Surely we want him to grow into the Premier League, one of the toughest leagues to adapt to, instead of being a one-season wonder like so many have been.

Louis van Gaal has faults, and we knew that when he took the United job and one of them is falling out with players, this could be the case with Di Maria. Yet, United fans should not be on Di Maria’s back for certain because he’s only going to get better next season, after a very good year in Red for United, something better than most seasons before his best year at Real which produced a move to United.