Angel di Maria has revealed that he is very happy to have been given the special #7 shirt at Manchester United, which has been worn by the likes of George Best, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona, David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo.

“It is a source of motivation,” he told MUTV. “When you wear a shirt that’s been worn by the likes of David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo, it’s something you’re always going to be pleased about. The fact that the club have chosen to give me that shirt number also gives me a huge confidence boost, so that’s why I’m very happy to have this number.”

Di Maria has claimed that Louis van Gaal was one of the main reasons why he joined United and that he really enjoys the Dutch manager’s training methods.

“We get on very well, he was one of the reasons I came here,” he explained. “I’m very grateful to him because he wanted to sign me. That makes me happy. Also, he’s a person who wants to win all the time, and to take the club back into the Champions League as quickly as possible, so the focus is very much on that. In every training session and every match we want to give 100 per cent. The sessions are different because here football is a lot more competitive, so you feel the physical aspects and the contact more. As a result you need to be 100 per cent fit all the time and ready for anything. I really like that. I like it when the manager takes games, and when we do work on finishing or free-kicks. It motivates you to train harder.”