Angel Di Maria says he left Man United for PSG 'to win things'

Angel Di Maria launched a scathing attack on Manchester United under Louis van Gaal as he explained his departure from the club.

The Argentina attacker said that he was played out of position, which made him unhappy, and he also left United so that he could win things. The 28-year-old signed for Van Gaal's team in August 2014 for nearly £60 million but, after a frustrating season, he joined Paris Saint-Germain a year later for around £44m.

Di Maria, who played six different positions at United, told BBC Sport: "It's not nice to say certain things but it's more that they didn't let me settle properly than I couldn't settle.

"I left and the team are still playing the same way. Out of the European competitions, far from being champions of the Premier League.

"I don't think it was my fault or the fault of my teammates. Every time I was given the opportunity, I did all I could but it didn't work out as I hoped. So I decided to leave, not only to be happy but to win things."

Di Maria had made a promising start at United with three goals in his first five appearances. After that opening burst, he only added one more goal in the following 27 appearances -- against Yeovil Town in the FA Cup -- before departing the club.

"I started a game in one position then the next game in another. I scored goals playing in one position, then suddenly the next game I was picked to play in a different position. I think this also didn't help me settle," he said.

"It's up to the manager to decide where and how every player should play, but I think that the player should be comfortable in that position and adapt to it. That is what I'm doing here [at Paris] and I'm very thankful to the manager for it."

He praised Laurent Blanc, the Paris Saint-Germain manager, for not shifting him around the field like Van Gaal did.

Di Maria said: "From the beginning he was clear where he wanted to play me and has never changed his mind. He gave me total freedom to move where I need to move. I'm very happy here and it wasn't the case over there."

Arindam is ESPN FC's Manchester United correspondent. Follow him @ARejSport