According to Arsenal legend Thierry Henry, Angel Di Maria’s “free-spirited” playing style was not something that would be appreciated by Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal, as the Dutchman’s plans for the club were quite different. The Argentine winger finally sealed his move to join Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain on Thursday, a season after joining the Red Devils from Real Madrid.
The former Benfica superstar failed to establish his place in United’s starting eleven and was allowed to leave Old Trafford in a deal of around £45m.
The Premier League giants are looking to sign Barcelona forward Pedro as his replacement, whose former team-mate Henry told Drivetime, Louis van Gaal demands his teams to play a certain way. It’s very demanding and well structured. If you’re a winger you have to stay wide, you can’t come in, you have to stay there. I know that exactly, because at Barcelona it was the same way, the Dutch way and the Barca way are very similar. From what I understand, that’s why it was difficult for Di Maria to adapt, because he’s a free spirit. You have to let him play and that’s how it was for him at Real Madrid; sometimes he played behind the striker, sometimes on the left or on the right, and sometimes he didn’t come back, Henry said.
Henry also said that a player cannot do that in Manchester United and also pointed out the reason why Di Maria was left out. Henry added You can’t do that at Manchester United, it’s too well structured. At one point last season, they didn’t gel, so Van Gaal did something to make sure they were going to get results until the end of the season – they were more direct. That’s why he went on to buy players this summer that can suit the way he wants to play – that’s why he wants Pedro. Pedro knows those tactics, he can do what Van Gaal wants.