Angel Di Maria has claimed he had rows with Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal and suggested that he struggled to comprehend the Dutch tactician’s philosophy during his time at Old Trafford. Di Maria left United to join Paris Saint-Germain just a year after his British record £59.7 million move from Real Madrid, with the Argentine winger struggling to make his mark during his solitary season in the Premier League.

In his first comments on his apparent rift with Van Gaal, Di Maria told ESPN Radio Argentina that he struggled to build a working relationship with the United boss. Di Maria also confirmed he felt he was played out of position by Van Gaal, with Paris Saint-Germain boss Laurent Blanc keen to assure him that he would be used in his favoured role.

“Van Gaal has his philosophy and one of the things that made me want to leave is that,” Di Maria said. “It is difficult to adapt to Van Gaal. I had a couple of rows with him. “I started well [at United] and after that I got injured. Things didn’t go well for me and Van Gaal changed my position. I spoke with [Laurent] Blanc and his thinking was that I’d play in a similar position to where I did at Real Madrid.”

Di Maria made a sparkling start to his PSG career on Sunday, as he produced a delightful assist for Ezequiel Lavezzi during his side’s impressive 3-0 win against Monaco.