Angel Di Maria says a damaged relationship with Louis van Gaal at Manchester United eventually made life unbearable, even though the move had been a long-held ambition and the Premier League experience still leaves many positive memories.

Di Maria joined Manchester United from Real Madrid in August 2014 on a five-year contract worth £59.7m, started strongly with three goals and four assists in his first six appearances, yet his form dipped sharply and the winger left 12 months later for Paris Saint-Germain.

Van Gaal has previously stated that signing Di Maria was not a personal request and argued there was no natural role for Di Maria in that tactical shape, while Di Maria felt the coach focused almost entirely on flaws and rarely acknowledged strengths, which steadily eroded trust between the pair.

Describing those months, Di Maria explained that talks with Van Gaal increasingly centred on criticism, saying that meetings highlighted only mistakes in positioning or decision-making, and that this repetition drained confidence. “He never showed me what I was doing well, just the negatives, over and over. Eventually, I got fed up.”

Di Maria outlined how problems away from the pitch added to the tension, with family life unsettled in Manchester, a burglary at the family home intensifying anxiety, and limited playing time compounding that strain, until, as Di Maria put it, “It made me hate being there.”

The winger contrasted England with France, noting that a robbery also occurred during Di Maria’s spell in Paris, yet Di Maria remained with Paris Saint-Germain for another two or three years because daily life felt more comfortable, while in Manchester, short daylight hours, harsh weather and repeated setbacks meant, in Di Maria’s words, “everything kept snowballing.”

Reflecting on the initial months at Old Trafford, Di Maria told BBC Sport that performances had flowed and adaptation seemed smooth, but once disagreements with Van Gaal emerged, momentum disappeared: “Things started really well, Di Maria told BBC Sport. Everything was flowing. Then I started to have issues with Van Gaal, and from there, everything fell apart.”

After leaving Manchester United, Di Maria went on to represent Paris Saint-Germain, then Juventus and Benfica, before returning in 2023 to Rosario Central, the club where Di Maria began a professional career, and Di Maria maintains that the decision to test the Premier League still feels right.

Looking back, Di Maria stressed that the club environment itself left a positive mark, especially the people behind the scenes and the matchday feeling. “But when it comes to the Premier League, the atmosphere, life at the club, honestly, I was left with a really good feeling because there were great people inside the club who always treated me well, who always supported me and helped me with everything. For that, I’m grateful, he added. It was a decision I wanted to make. I wanted to go to United. The football, arriving at the stadiums, the atmosphere, the love from the fans, I don’t regret any of it. Joining them was incredible. I played as Manchester United on the PlayStation. I used to play with [Wayne] Rooney, and suddenly, he was beside me.”