The signing of Angel Di Maria will give Manchester United something they have not had since Cristiano Ronaldo left and Ryan Giggs’ age caught up with him – a world-class dribbler.
United’s first Premier League-winning side, from 1992/93, featured three excellent widemen who beat players with regular ease – Giggs, Lee Sharpe and Andrei Kanchelskis.
It is in United’s DNA to play with flying wingers who get the crowd off their seats and create chances, from the days of George Best and Sammy McIlroy to Ronaldo.
Read more: Andy Mitten details Angel di Maria’s journey to Manchester United
Before Di Maria’s arrival, only Adnan Januzaj and Nani, now on loan to Sporting, had the ability to beat two or three men in one go.
Di Maria is one of the world’s best in that position and will add a new dimension to United’s forward line – which has been highly predictable in recent games.
He is also fairly uniuqe in the English football landscape.
Of the best dribblers in the Premier League in recent years – Adam Johnson, Gareth Bale, Luis Suarez, David Silva, Eden Hazard – only Bale and Johnson are anywhere near classic wingers.
The era of 4-2-3-1 has seen coaches ditch the out-and-out wideman in favour of more flexible creative midfielders. United too have now switched from their classic 4-4-2 to 5-3-2, but manager Louis van Gaal must be confident Di Maria can thrive in his side.
The Argentine played on the wing for Real Madrid until last season, when Carlo Ancelotti switched to 4-3-3 and positioned Di Maria on the left of the midfield three where he had his best season for the Spanish giants. He also played there for Argentina as he starred in their run to the World Cup final.
Key to his success in that role were two elements. His unrelenting work rate and his dribbling.
On countless occasions last season, he picked up a loose ball in midfield and used his pace and close control to slice through opposing defences, taking several players out of the game in one go. It was a highly effective weapon for a side already possessing Ronaldo and Bale.
For United he could line up as the left wing-back, where he would be expected to fly up and down the flank. Or Van Gaal will play him more centrally, perhaps next to a defensive midfielder or in the No 10 role.
Wherever he finally settles in the starting XI, it is a clever signing by Van Gaal who needed to add a touch of magic to a very pedestrian midfield.
Now he just needs to sort out the gaping holes in defence.
twoods@thenational.ae
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