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James Rodriguez has heaped praise on Angel Di Maria, the man whose place he effectively took in the Real Madrid team this summer.

The Colombian joined in a £63m move from Monaco, while Di Maria later moved to Manchester United for just shy of £60m.

James said the following after Real's 5-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao, per Football Espana:

He’s a great player and he did a lot here, he made history and there is a lot of respect for him. Di Maria is much loved and I just got here. I want to make history here too. I have to run but I’m used to it. That’s what the Coach wants and I’m happy to do it because I’m happy here.

Jon Super/Associated Press

Di Maria has been a driving force in Manchester United's return to form, scoring three times in his first five appearances.

Plenty still wonder whether Real would have been better off keeping him.

[Football Espana]