Angel Di Maria brands Louis van Gaal the 'worst' manager he has ever played for in fresh swipe at former Man United boss, as he names ex-Leeds midfielder as one of his best coaches

Angel Di Maria has taken a fresh swipe at former Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal by naming him the worst manager he has ever played for.

Van Gaal arrived at Old Trafford in 2014 and made Di Maria one of his first signings for £60m from Real Madrid.

But Di Maria failed to find his best form in Manchester and left for PSG the following year.

The Argentine playmaker has thrived at almost every club during his glittering career, but it all went wrong at United, and he appears to feel Van Gaal is largely to blame.

In an interview with ESPN Argentina, Di Maria said: 'The worst (manager) is Van Gaal, you can be sure of that. In case you had any doubt, I'll clear that up for you right now.'

There has been no love lost between Di Maria and Van Gaal since the former departed Old Trafford almost a decade ago.

Van Gaal followed Di Maria out the exit door a year later in 2016, and has since put the winger's issues at United down to him not being able to handle the pressure of the Premier League.

Van Gaal told BBC Sport in 2019: 'Di Maria says it was my problem. I played him in every attacking position.

'You can check that. He never convinced me in any of those positions.

'He could not deal with the continuous pressure on the ball in the Premier League. That was his problem.'

Di Maria also named the coaches who have had the biggest influence on his career, and picked out two of his fellow countrymen, including ex-Leeds midfielder Alejandro Sabella.

Sabella spent a year at Elland Road after joining the club in 1980 before going on to enjoy a career in management. He coached the Argentine national team between 2011 and 2014, taking the side all the way to the World Cup final before they were beaten by Germany.

Current Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni went one step further as he led the South American nation to their third World Cup triumph two years ago, and he also made Di Maria's list of his best coaches. 

Di Maria added: 'Scaloni, without a doubt. He's a great coach in every sense because of the staff he has, the connection with the players and how he manages the games, it's perfect. I think he's one of the best.

'Then, Alejandro (Sabella) too, he was a manager who had a big impact on me, I learned a lot with him. 

'And after, it's hard. I had a lot of coaches, Mourinho, Ancelotti. I played for so many good managers that it's hard to pick.'