Angel Di Maria cannot stand the sight of Manchester United. So much so, that he has to change the channel if they are ever on television, according to his PSG team-mate Marcin Bulka.
Di Maria endured a torrid time at United after completing a then club-record £59.7million transfer from Real Madrid in August 2014 before he was shipped off to the French capital a year later.
While Di Maria is now in much happier surroundings, he can’t stand to think back at his failed move and resents the Red Devils for it.
Angel Di Maria cannot stand the sight of Manchester United, according to Marcin Bulka
Bulka, formerly on the books at Chelsea, has revealed that Di Maria harbours a lot of hate and that he has ‘no good memories’ in the north west of England.
‘Di Maria hates Manchester United,’ Bulka told Polish YouTube channel Foot Truck. ‘He has no good memory of the time he spent there.
‘In fact, when something related to Manchester United appears on television, he changes the channel quickly.’
Di Maria’s return to Old Trafford last February was an ill-tempered affair for the Argentine but he still managed to inspire PSG to a 2-0 win on the night.
Di Maria endured a miserable season at United before he departed for PSG in August 2015
The game got off to a rocky start for the winger, who was bundled into the advertising hoardings by his former team-mate Ashley Young, much to the delight of the 74,054-strong Old Trafford crowd.
Di Maria received a constant barrage of abuse from the unsympathetic home crowd before he went on to set up both goals in the game.
Videos also appeared to show Di Maria telling United fans to ‘f*** off’ after setting up Presnel Kimpembe to score the opening goal.
One of the most memorable moments of the clash came when a bottle of beer was launched at Di Maria as he took a corner.
In response, Di Maria taunted the crowd by picking up the bottle before pretending to drink it – an action that UEFA came close to punishing him for.
Di Maria was taunted on his return to Old Trafford in 2019 and a bottle was thrown at him
He pretended to drink from the bottle, further escalating his row with the United fans
More recently, the 32-year-old hit out at his former club for handing him the iconic No 7 shirt when he arrived from Real Madrid – a responsibility he didn’t want.
Adnan Januzaj was in possession of the No 11 at United at the time, meaning Di Maria was pressured into taking the No 7, he claims.
‘I don’t really know. When I arrived, I saw that the No 11 was available,’ he told Ligue 1 when asked why he took that shirt with the French giants.
‘It’s a shirt number I wore a lot when I was younger and I was keen to get once again.
‘At Real Madrid, No 11 was already taken, so I took 22. At Manchester United they gave me No 7, I didn’t get a choice. I would have liked 11 but there we are. Here, I had a choice, so I chose 11!’
PSG goalkeeper Marcin Bulka revealed Di Maria can’t stand watch United on television
Since ending his ill-fated time at Old Trafford and moving to PSG, Di Maria has gone on to win nine major honours – including three Ligue 1 titles.
And reflecting on his time so far at the Parc des Princes, the 31-year-old is effusive about the club helping him rediscover his passion for football: ‘PSG is very important to me. They welcomed me with open arms in a period when I was finding it difficult in Manchester.
‘I came here with ambition, and determination to succeed. Little by little, I showed that I was capable, that I could help the club achieve great things. I always do my best to help the club succeed.’
