Angel Di Maria will be facing old boss Louis van Gaal in the quarter-finals of the World Cup, the manager who he once labelled the ‘the worst of my career’.
Manchester United signed Angel Di Maria from Real Madrid in 2014 but the move never really worked out for the player who had a terrible experience at the club.
He agreed to a five-year deal but only stayed for one season. His poor performance on the field, combined with his strained relationship with the Dutch coach, prompted him to leave.
He left Manchester United and joined PSG, where he regained his form. That year in England, however, left an impression on him. Di Mara discussed his time at United with Argentine media outlet TyC Sports after leaving the club and was very vocal about the Dutch boss.
He said (via Marca):
“My problem in Manchester was the coach. Van Gaal was the worst coach 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 next, he didn’t like players to be above him.”
He is not a player who is known for having problems with his coaches, but in the case of Van Gaal, there was never a good relationship.
And Van Gaal has now responded to Di Maria’s comments in the most bizarre way ahead of the quarter-final. In the pre-match press conference, he was asked about his poor relationship with the Argentine and the comments aimed at him.
Van Gaal expressed regret after hearing Di Maria’s comments, and joked that he had similar issues with Memphis Depay when they were both at Manchester United, but that they now ‘kiss each other on the mouth’. He said:
“Di Maria calling me the worst manager he has ever had? He’s one of the few players with this opinion. I’m really sorry about this and I find it sad he said this. Memphis had to deal with it too at Manchester, and now we kiss each other on the mouth.”
Van Gaal: "Di Maria calling me the worst manager he has ever had? He's one of the few players with this opinion. I'm really sorry about this and I find it sad he said this. Memphis had to deal with it too at Manchester, and now we kiss each other on the mouth." pic.twitter.com/tZo9mmsQiy
— ??? ???? ? (@TheEuropeanLad) December 8, 2022
Di Maria remains a doubt for Friday’s quarterfinal against Netherlands. He did not play against Australia, and it is unclear whether he will start this time.