Former Real Madrid star Angel Di Maria had a less than stellar year in his first season with Manchester United. After failing to live up to the hype of his record-breaking transfer, the Argentine International reveals that a massive World Cup hangover has caused his slump. The mediocre year has led to reports that United is already planning to sell him but he says that he intends to stay. 

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"The Angel Di Maria from before the World Cup and after the World Cup changed so much because we gave everything we had on the pitch," explained Di Maria. Goal.com shared excerpts from his interview with the Copa America website. He is currently back to wearing his national team's colors for the 2015 Copa America in Chile.

Argentina reached the final of the 2014 FIFA World Cup but were unfortunately defeated by Germany in extra time. Even worse for Di Maria, he wasn't able to take part in the final match because he got sidelined due to a thigh injury.

He admits that he felt frustrated to have made it to the final only to miss it due to injury, He said that he did everything that he could to be ready for the game but in the end, the coach decided that it would be best for him and the team if he stayed on the bench.

Before heading into a physically and emotionally draining summer in Brazil for the World Cup, Di Maria also had an amazing season with Real Madrid. In May last year, he played a key role in handing the legendary team its tenth Champions League title. He was the man of the match in the final against their bitter rivals Atlético Madrid. The Champions League title was special but Di Maria says he would gladly exchange all of his club trophies for a World Cup title with his national team. 

With scorching performances for his club and his national team under his belt,it was therefore no surprise when English giants Manchester United signed him for a whopping £59.7 million in August. He started his season well by scoring three goals in the opening five matches. However, he ran out of steam later in the season and hardly started in the last ten games.

Less than a year after his big move, he is already the subject of transfer rumors as fans of the Red Devils appear to be dissatisfied with his performance. However, Goal.com reports that Di Maria intends to stay at Old Trafford for the upcoming season. He says that he needed to adjust in his first year with the Premiere League. He says that playing there is harder than the Spanish La Liga but he fully intends to return to Manchester after the Copa America. 

TagsAngel Di Maria, Football, real madrid, Premiere League, Transfer, Argentina, La Liga