Angel Di Maria urges Manchester United fans to embrace new style

Ángel di María has urged fans at Old Trafford to forget about the old Manchester United way of playing under the management of Louis van Gaal.

United have drawn criticism in recent weeks for employing a long-ball game that has brought indifferent results but the Argentinian winger insisted the team were showing signs of progress.

“From the start of the season to now, you can see that we’ve grown,” he told MUTV. “We weren’t so great at the beginning but we’ve started getting a few victories under our belts. There are some people saying that we’re not playing in a particularly good style or that it’s not the old Manchester United – but it’s not.

“We’re beginning something new here. We’ve got a new style, we’ve got a new manager and we’re all working hard to make sure we’re putting Manchester United back where it belongs.

“We’re focusing on growing as a team, working hard and getting as many points as we can. We all know the Premier League is difficult, but all we’re focusing on now is meeting our objectives and our targets for the year.

“So whether it’s qualifying for the Champions League, making sure that we do well in the FA Cup or getting as high in the league as possible, these are things we are going for now.”

Di María’s arrival in the summer as the club’s £59.7m record signing has not been all plain sailing, with Sunday’s defeat by Southampton his first appearance in the starting lineup since November because of injury. The 26-year-old admits adjusting following his switch from Real Madrid has taken some time but is targeting a major improvement in the second half of the season.

“It is difficult for a player, especially when you come to a new club,” he added. “You just want to arrive and you want to show them how well you can play. So when these things happen it is unfortunate but, that said, the important thing was that when I came back I needed to make sure that I could help the team and that’s what I did. It’s important for me and important for the team to be really doing my best and showing what I am capable of.”