His record breaking signing sent shockwaves in the entire country and the addition of the Argentine mastermind was expected to improve the Man United side instrumentally. He started life at new club brightly but his performances faded gradually which made his mammoth transfer fee come under intense scrutiny.
Widely regarded as one of the finest players in the world during his last season at Real Madrid, the 27 year old has failed to replicate his form for his new club and he could potentially be dropped as the Red Devils prepare for a crunch fixture against Man City.
Van Gaal should stick with the winning eleven
The former Bayern Munich boss has been heavily blamed for his tactics this season and he himself has accepted not completely knowing his team. However it seems that Van Gaal has finally found the balance and recent performances and results are reminiscent to that.
Following their defeat at the hands of Arsenal a match in which Angel Di Maria earned a sending off as well as a one match suspension, the Red Devils put forth arguably their best performance of the season as they condemned Tottenham to a 3-0 defeat. Subsequently they produced a dominant performance at Anfield securing a 2-1 win and were impressive as they picked a 3-1 win over Aston Villa last time out.
Angel Di Maria did not start in any of these matches instead it was the under rated Ashley Young who got an opportunity to prove himself.
The 29 year old does not boast excellent stats but has been very useful for his side. He linked up very well with Daley Blind in United's last outing and repeatedly caused trouble to Alan Hutton, however his final product was mostly erratic. The Englishman apart from his attacking exploits also contributes to his defensive duties which makes him quite an asset for his side.
Di Maria cannot be dropped
It is difficult to imagine a player of the quality of Angel Di Maria to regularly find a place on the bench, be it any team in the world. Even though his performances have raised a lot of questions they have not been as bad as they have been portrayed.
The Argentine has created a chance every 33 minutes which is better than what any of his teammates have produced. Di Maria now has 10 assists to his name and is only behind Cesc Fabregas in the league assists chart. With seven matches still to play, Di Maria could potentially over take David Beckham who's 15 assists in the 1999/2010 season is the highest number of assists a Man United player has registered in a single season.
He is a big match player and has created the difference especially when against the top four contenders. It was his free-kick in the match against Chelsea which resulted in a goal for his team. He also assisted Rooney's winner against Arsenal at the Emirates as well as Juan Mata's decisive goal against Liverpool which goes on to show that he makes his presence felt in the big matches.
Despite of City's poor run of form, United can take nothing for granted and the match at the Old Trafford will be a tight affair and it is essential that Van Gaal has his best players on the pitch. Di Maria is exactly the kind of player who can produce a moment of genius out of nothing and is clearly much more valuable than being just an impact sub.
In hindsight it might be unfair to Ashley Young should he be dropped in the match against Man city for he has not done much wrong. However it might be a huge gamble to bench Angel Di Maria in such an important match. Even though the former Real Madrid star is still finding his feet at his new club and he might not produce a perfect performance, he is still a game changer and probably deserves a place in the line-up.
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