The Argentine worldwide only arrived at Old Trafford 12 months ago for a club-record £59.7million, but after starting well the winger’s form quickly tailed off and by the end of the campaign he was little more than a very expensive substitute.
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Though no fee has been agreed between the two clubs, sources in Spain suggest the deal could go through “within hours”, leaving the formalities to be taken care of last.
Angel di Maria is set to sign for Paris St Germain after one season with Manchester United.
The only other comment Van Gaal made was when he was asked by a reporter from Kurdistan where Di Maria’s next club would be.
“So I think that it shall be the season of Luke Shaw, that I believe”.
PSG coach Laurent Blanc said on Thursday that the Argentinian midfielder is “close” to sealing a move to the French champions.
Regardless of the choices behind his decision, United fans will simply be happy to hear that Van Gaal intends to stick to the 4-3-3 formation which the squad now compliments.
As explained in the BBC’s report United are refusing to negotiate a transfer with Madrid unless defender Sergio Ramos is included in the deal, which looks increasingly unlikely to happen. “It is the same question as your predecessor”.
Van Gaal added that in his experience, the side that scores the first goal has a great possibility to win the first game.
The Dutchman was then asked what the best solution was for all parties, and he responded: “We have to wait and see”.
Van Gaal refused to chastise his players for their weak defensive showing in Illinois.
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Promising partnership… Wayne Rooney and Memphis Depay have shown signs of forming an effective alliance up front this summer and while neither scored on Wednesday night, their link-up play in the final third hinted at a more successful future together. “Yeah, we lose, but maybe that is also good because last year we won everything [on tour] and then we lost the first match in the Premier League”, he explained.
