#3 Angel Di Maria
Di Maria arrived in 2014 to much fanfare and expectation. He immediately inherited the No. 7 shirt. He was likened to former Real Madrid teammate, Ronaldo and was expected to catapult United back into Europe’s elite. He was hailed as a “Galactico” after United shattered the previous Premier League record and signed him for a record £59 million.
After making an encouraging debut against Burnley, Di Maria showed his skill with a wonderfully struck free kick against QPR as United coasted to a 4-0 win. He then assisted two goals and scored a wonderful chip against Leicester as United raced to a 3-0 lead at half-time but little did he and his team know that they would lose the game 5-3. For his excellent contributions until then, the Argentine won the Player of the Month award in September.
Just when everyone thought that United had another world beater on their hands, tragedy struck as the Argentine was struck down with a hamstring injury till the New Year. Many believed that he was never the same player ever since.
After scoring on his return to the side, Di Maria was inexplicably used as a forward against the Saints as United lost 1-0. His playing style was such that he constantly gave away the ball and this resulted in him being dropped by manager van Gaal who insisted in his side maintaining possession.
He never fully adjusted to this new role and bad form followed as he was sent off for diving in a crunch cup game against Arsenal. He soon found himself spending more time on the bench than in the eleven as the manager often preferred Juan Mata to the Argentine due to his ability to track back and contribute defensively.
In the end, despite creating the highest number of chances for his side and having the second highest assists in the league, Di Maria was unfairly judged as an expensive flop and the club’s worst signing since compatriot Juan Sebastian Veron. He was eventually sold to French champions Paris Saint-Germain, where he thrived as he helped PSG win the league last season.
