Manchester United's £59.7 million capture of Angel Di Maria in August was a statement of intent to the rest of the Premier League. It was a move to show that United are going to do everything in their power to get back amongst football's elite, even in spite of their poor performances on the pitch. It shows they can still attract the world's best players - and from the world's best clubs - while they also have the spending power to match any team on the planet. But Di Maria's move has been surrounded by negativity. Did it really need to take a British transfer record fee for him to leave Madrid? Does the midfielder really require the Wayne Rooney-esque wages? Is he worth the money they will have paid to him at the end of his five-year contract? There will always be people to argue for and against that point. Football transfers have gone mad and that trend is only going to continue. Di Maria will likely not be the most expensive player in British football in five years time and he won't be United's last big purchase, but the criticism isn't justified. If United - who are making incredible amounts of money through their recent sponsorship deals alone - don't spend their money, they will fall away completely from the Premier League's top clubs. While other areas of the pitch need attention from the Red Devils' point of view, there is no argument against the quality of the Argentinian midfielder. Blessed with blistering pace, great technical ability and a huge engine, Di Maria is going to be a very important part of Louis van Gaal's new look United. But who exactly is Angel Di Maria? Here are some things you may want to know.
Football writer (predominantly) with work previously published by Mail Online, Manchester Evening News, Daily Mirror, USA Today and Chelsea FC. Regular contributor for Huffington Post, who holds tempestuous relationships with WWE and FIFA 15.
