Manchester United have broken the British transfer record for a player by signing Argentine midfielder/winger Angel Di Maria from Real Madrid. Di Maria completed his medical on Tuesday before agreeing terms on a five-year deal which will see him swap the Bernabeu for Old Trafford for a fee of £59.7million - almost £10million more than the previous record paid for Fernando Torres.
Talking about the deal, Di Maria said that United are “the only club that I would have left Real Madrid for,” adding, “Louis van Gaal is a fantastic coach with a proven track record of success and I am impressed by the vision and determination everyone has to get this club back to the top - where it belongs. I now just cannot wait to get started.”
Meanwhile, manager Louis Van Gaal is excited by the prospect of adding Di Maria - who was the Man of the Match in last season’s Champions League Final - to his struggling United squad. “Angel is a world-class midfielder but most importantly he is a team player. There is no doubting his immense natural talent. He is a tremendously fast and incisive left-footed player who puts fear into the most accomplished defence. His dribbling skills and his ability to take on and beat opponents are a joy to watch. He is an excellent addition to the team.”
Though Di Maria will no doubt be relieved to have his future resolved after a long summer which has also seen him linked with PSG and Arsenal, one can only imagine what he was thinking while watching his new side being taken apart by League One side MK Dons in the Capital One Cup last night. With the ink on his £200,000 a week contract barely dried, United were mauled 4-0 at stadiummk and some have accused Van Gaal of panicking and bringing in the wrong player.
With a young team failing to adapt to his 3-5-2 system, United fans are up in arms over the failure to sign a world-class defensive midfielder or center-half. With United in crisis and the transfer window coming to a close, price tags the world over will only be rising.