Louis van Gaal made it quite plain on the importance of signing Angel Di Maria — by telling the Real Madrid star he wants him to wear the iconic No 7 shirt.

Di Maria would be following in the footsteps of former United idols Cristiano Ronaldo and David Beckham who electrified the sport with their exploits in the shirt.

If Manchester United manage to pull off the £60million transfer for the Argentinian it will lay down a huge marker in the Dutch manager’s rebuilding plans.

VIDEO Scroll down to watch Louis van Gaal say he's gone from being a king to a devil

Next? Angel Di Maria is on the verge of joining United and you can read Sportsmail's full story by clicking here

Hero: David Beckham made the No 7 shirt his own during his time at Manchester United

Starting out: Cristiano Ronaldo became one of the best players in the world during his stay at United

MANCHESTER UNITED'S NO 7 IDOLS Angel di Maria is set to wear the No 7 shirt at United. Can he match up to two of United's legendary sevens? David Beckham (1992-2003) Apps: 394 Goals: 85 Trophies: 14 Cristiano Ronaldo (2003-2009) Apps: 292 Goals: 118 Trophies: 9 Advertisement

To pay a British record fee for Di Maria would be a major coup as he has been pursued by mega-rich Paris Saint-Germain.

And Manchester City were even approached by the star’s representatives to see if they were interested. Although City declined, it seems clear that Di Maria had already set his heart on joining United although the deal has not yet been finalised.

It is likely Di Maria will be asked to play wing-back in Van Gaal’s formation but he will also be given opportunities to play as a free ranging centre forward.

United fans angered by what they have seen as the club’s lacklustre performance in the transfer market will be encouraged by the latest developments, even though Di Maria’s signing does not address critical issues in the centre of defence and midfield.

If United sign Di Maria it will ease the pressure on Ed Woodward, the executive chairman, who was being lined up to take the blame for another unimpressive transfer window and who, as the representative of the unpopular Glazers, is the most viable scapegoat.

The breaking point for Di Maria and his future at Real Madrid came on Thursday when coach Carlo Ancelotti confirmed publicly that the player had asked for a transfer. Subsequently, the Argentina international was left out of Friday’s squad to face Atletico Madrid in the Supercopa which Real Madrid lost 2-1 on aggregate.

Absent: Di Maria was not picked for Real Madrid's second leg of the Spanish Super Cup against Atletico Madrid

On his way? Di Maria would be an impressive British record fee for United and would snub Paris Saint-Germain

ANGEL DI MARIA LEAGUE PROFILE Born: Argentina, February 14 1988 (age 26) 2005-2007: Rosario Central (35 apps, 6 gls) 2007-2010: Benfica (76, 7) 2010-NOW: Real Madrid (124, 22) 2008-NOW: Argentina (52, 10) HONOURS: Benfica: Primeira Liga, Taca da Liga (2) Real Madrid: Champions League, Super Cup, La Liga, Copa del Rey (2), Supercopa de Espana Argentina: World Cup runner-up Advertisement

That gave United encouragement that there were less hurdles to overcome as Ancelotti has been firm in his support for Di Maria’s role at the Bernabeu. However, president Florentino Perez has pushed for the move as he looks to redress their summer spending.

When Di Maria found out he was not involved on Friday night, it is understood he went straight home. Afterwards, Ancelotti said: ‘It was a technical decision that we did not need Di Maria.’

He had been up for the challenge of competing with £60m signing James Rodriguez but Friday’s events made him realise he had to leave Madrid. His agent, Jorge Mendes, is flying back from a business trip in Singapore to open negotiations.

For Madrid, who have shown an interest in City striker Alvaro Negredo, the sale of Di Maria would also allow them to recruit another non-EU player with Monaco’s Radamel Falcao the favoured target.

Van Gaal took training at 4pm on Saturday before his squad, including Robin Van Persie, travelled to Sunderland ahead of Sunday’s game. Di Maria’s proposed arrival would lift a squad stretched by injuries and low on confidence following last week’s defeat to Swansea.

When Tottenham Hotspur officials sat down with Van Gaal last season to discuss what needed to be done to their squad, it is understood they came away from the meeting surprised and gratified.

At that stage there was a very real chance Van Gaal would be the next Spurs manager and there was an expectation that the Dutchman would be outlining his demands for a raft of transfers which would be necessary to lift Spurs into the Champions League.

Looking on: Van Gaal took training at 4pm on Saturday before his squad travelled to Sunderland together

In: Di Maria’s arrival would lift a squad stretched by injuries and low on confidence after defeat by Swansea

NEW RECORD-BREAKING SIGNING? Di Maria's £60m move would make him the most expensive signing in British football history. But who are the current top five? £50m - Fernando Torres (Liverpool to Chelsea) £42.5m - Mesut Ozil (Real Madrid to Arsenal) £38m - Sergio Aguero (Atletico Madrid to Manchester City) £37.1m - Juan Mata (Chelsea to Manchester United) £35m - Andy Carroll (Newcastle to Liverpool) Advertisement

However, Van Gaal thrives on being contrary. That might be the default position for most managers.

Instead he told Tottenham: ‘I have studied your squad and I can take these players into the Champions League.’

There was no demand for big-name signings, no huge transfer budget required. A degree of tweaking was needed and perhaps some low-key additions. But, basically, Van Gaal was happy to work with what he had.

It is an instructive anecdote when considering Manchester United’s transfer window.

It looks like another abject failure. Ed Woodward, the executive chairman, is being lined up to take the blame and is an easy target. After all, he has been hugely unimpressive in previous windows and as the representative of the ever unpopular Glazer family who own the club, he is the most obvious scapegoat.

But within Old Trafford the feeling is that it isn’t simply that Woodward cannot make the deals happen; it is that experienced manager Van Gaal is extremely picky.

There are certain players that fit the profile he wants — Marcos Rojo is one, whom he stumbled upon when analysing Argentina for the World Cup semi-final and Di Maria might be another, if United can outbid Paris Saint-Germain and sign the Real Madrid star.

But the reality is that Van Gaal is not breaking down Woodward’s door demanding transfers. He would have liked Thomas Muller and Bastian Schweinsteiger from Bayern Munich and Mats Hummels from Borussia Dortmund, but they have proved unobtainable. But he has turned down other players the club have offered to sign for him.

In fact, most of the Dutchman’s energy is currently directed at enthusing his young players.

Wanted: Van Gaal would have liked to bring in Bayern Munich duo Thomas Muller and Bastian Schweinsteiger

Nearly: Borussia Dortmund's Mats Hummels proved unobtainable but Van Gaal works with the players he has

LOUIS VAN GAAL FULL FACT FILE Born: Amsterdam, August 8 1951 (age 63) TEAMS MANAGED: 1986-1988: AZ (assistant) 1988-1991: Ajax (assistant) 1991-1997: Ajax 1997-2000: Barcelona 2000-2002: Netherlands 2002-2003: Barcelona 2005-2009: AZ 2009-2011: Bayern Munich 2012-2014: Netherlands 2014-NOW: Manchester United HONOURS: Ajax: Eredivisie (3), KNVB Cup, Johan Cruyff Shield (3), Champions League, UEFA Cup, Super Cup, Intercontinental Cup Barcelona: La Liga (2), Copa del Rey, Super Cup AZ: Eredivisie Bayern Munich: Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal, DFB-Supercup Advertisement

Domestic audiences have tired of Chris Smalling and Phil Jones seemingly forever being the next big thing; Van Gaal brings fresh eyes and has been impressed with their potential. It is instructive that Smalling was not allowed to leave when Arsenal said they wanted him as part of a deal to take Thomas Vermaelen to Old Trafford.

Luke Shaw, who was unfit, according to Van Gaal, and whose diet is likely to change radically under this regime, is another whom Van Gaal has been showering with praise. Tyler Blackett now seems to be in that group, too.

It looks likely that the manager will be happy to ride out a difficult first three months rather than reach for the transfer fund. United supporters might wish to consider he only won five of his first 13 Bundesliga games in his first season at Bayern Munich when they went on to win the league and reach the final of the Champions League. At Barcelona, he endured the humiliation of the white hankies being waved at him and demands for his dismissal in the early months.

And United’s controversial owners, the Glazers, cannot say they were not warned. Van Gaal says he explained his methods when they met prior to hiring him. ‘I think they understand or I would not have accepted this job,’ said Van Gaal. ‘I have discussed everything, long discussions where I have shown myself as I am always open.

‘That is why we discussed three years, not one year. What are the consequences when you are hiring me? I have told them.

‘And my experience at my former clubs was always that the start was difficult. I know I give a lot of information and know that I load the brain a lot and the players have to adapt to that situation. That is not so easy.

Told: Van Gaal insists he let United's controversial owners, the Glazers, know exactly what he intended to do

MANCHESTER UNITED SIGNINGS Ander Herrera (£29m from Athletic Bilbao) Marcos Rojo (£16m from Sporting Lisbon) Luke Shaw (£27m from Southampton) Advertisement

‘You can say maybe I should give a little less information. But that’s not possible because we have to change the way of playing football. That is not only done in team meetings, that is also done on the pitch every day and when I give an exercise it is always with a tactical purpose. So they have to think a lot.’

It seems even he accepts that the league title is not achievable this season and that we should judge him better next year. ‘That is always the case,’ he said. ‘Nevertheless, I was champion in Barcelona and in Germany [in the first season]. It is possible but it is very difficult. When I got to Bayern Munich the selection was not stable. What we did was a miracle. And now, this selection is also unbalanced.’

Hence the need for another miracle. But don’t forget Van Gaal is the man who made his name with the home-grown team of Ajax in 1995, which contained the De Boer brothers, Ronald and Frank, Patrick Kluivert, Jari Litmanen, Phillip Cocu, Marc Overmars, Clarence Seedorf, Michael Reiziger, Winston Bogarde and Edwin van der Sar.

Admit: United boss Van Gaal seems to accept that the Premier League title is not achievable this season

They too played a back three — though slightly differently in a 3-4-3 — which was also tactically counter-intuitive but they defied critics to conquer Europe. You suspect he would like to do the same in the Premier League, the system and the young players bearing the strain rather than the transfer budget. ‘When I started with Ajax we played 3-4-3 but it was a different system as it is always to do with the qualities of our players you have,’ said Van Gaal. ‘That different system was also for Europe at that time and it was amazing that we played that and won everything.

Van Gaal is not a man who accumulates the star names of the football world. And when he does urge a club to spend it is usually on players he knows well; thus at Barca he was criticised for making the team too Dutch by bringing in Bogarde, Reiziger, Cocu, Kluivert and the De Boers — players who knew his system. The big-name signing during that period at Barca was Rivaldo, a deal which had been agreed before he joined the club and with whom Van Gaal fell out when the Brazilian refused to fit in with the system.

At AZ Alkmaar he restored his reputation by winning the league with a team devoid of superstars. At Bayern, he signed Arjen Robben — whom he knew for the Dutch team — and Danijel Pranjic.

But the other major signings of that period, Mario Gomez and Anatoliy Tymoshchuk, had been organised by the club rather than the coach.

There may yet be additions in this final week of the transfer window and Van Gaal does want at least two more players. But he does not share the same ideas as United legend Paul Scholes who said last week that it will take five of six marquee signings to sort out the squad.

It might look as though Van Gaal needs to be an alchemist to revive United but he appears entirely unfazed. After all, he is the self-styled miracle man.