Angel Di Maria: Why did record signing not work for Man Utd?

By Simon Stone BBC Sport in Chicago

He was British football's most expensive signing, a World Cup finalist and regarded as one of the best players in the world at the peak of his powers.

His capture was supposed to be a show of power from Manchester United that they could still compete with Europe's elite for the best players.
But as Angel Di Maria looks set to leave Old Trafford for French champions Paris St-Germain after a single year in the Premier League, BBC Sport looks at why the £59.7m Argentina international has failed on the stage which seemed ready-made for his talents.

How did the deal come about?

It all seemed so perfect.
In the summer of 2013 Manchester United had been looking for a marquee signing with which to usher in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.
Cristiano Ronaldo could not be lured back from Real Madrid. Gareth Bale was chased but his heart was set on joining Ronaldo at the Bernabeu.
Twelve months on, the need was more acute. Without the collective mental strength Ferguson so painstakingly forged, technical and physical deficiencies had been exposed during David Moyes' ill-fated tenure.
Glamour was not required purely to make United fans feel good. It was a necessity if they were to compete with Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool, who had taken their Champions League place.
Real, back in the 'Galactico' business of accumulating star names, had one man too many following the arrival of one of the 2014 World Cup's stand-out performers, Colombia's James Rodriguez.
Di Maria, man of the match in the Champions League final three months earlier, was deemed surplus to requirements and United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward swooped.
The Argentine signed a five-year contract on 26 August, 2014, for a British record fee of £59.7m.

Welcome to Manchester: Di Maria's early promise

Talk at the time suggested Di Maria would be paid in excess of £200,000 a week, with bonuses for winning the Premier League, Champions League and even the Ballon d'Or for the world's best player over the course of a five-year contract.
His early performances suggested such optimism was justified.
Di Maria scored a goal and claimed an assist in three of his first four games for United.
The stand-out effort was a magical chip at Leicester on 21 September to put the visitors two goals up in a game they were eventually to lose 5-3.
United fans were in thrall to their new number seven. Di Maria responded by saying moving to Old Trafford from Madrid represented a step up in his career.