Di Maria: Man Utd gave me the No.7 shirt... I didn't have a choice!

The Argentine forward was handed an iconic jersey upon his arrival at Old Trafford in 2014 but admits that he would have preferred a different number

Angel Di Maria claims that he didn't have a choice but to take the No.7 shirt at .

The Argentine forward was handed an iconic jersey, previously worn by the likes of Eric Cantona, David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo, on the back of a big-money transfer in the summer of 2014.

Big things were expected of the South American following a successful spell at , with Louis van Gaal of the opinion that another talismanic performer had been found.

Di Maria would spend just one forgettable season at Old Trafford before moving on to , with little return found on sizeable investment.

He certainly failed to live up to the standards set by No.7s that went before him, but the 31-year-old says it was never his desire to take on the iconic number.

Di Maria told Ligue 1 on why he took the No.11 shirt at PSG: “I don’t really know. When I arrived, I saw that the No.11 was available.

“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!”

Di Maria has gone on to take in over 200 games for PSG, collecting three titles along the way, and admits to rediscovering his passion for the game after a testing spell in .

He added: “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.”

Having found the target just four times in his 32 outings for United, Di Maria has plundered 80 goals in 210 appearances for PSG.

He has also contributed a healthy number of assists having worked alongside prolific strikers such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Edinson Cavani, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.