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Louis van Gaal’s response to harsh Angel di Maria remark leaves Depay in stitches

Louis van Gaal showcased his unique sense of humour when responding to criticism from former Manchester United star Angel di Maria.

Van Gaal is currently focused on leading the Netherlands at the World Cup, with a quarter-final against Di Maria’s Argentina looming on Friday evening. But ahead of the match, he was asked to respond to comments from the Juventus winger, who called him the “worst coach of my career”.

“The fact he would refer to me as the worst trainer, he is one of the only players to have said that,” Van Gaal replied. “It’s usually the other way round. It is sad, I don’t like that Angel said that but it’s a pity… but it’s the way it is. A head coach has to take decisions that don’t always end well.

Van Gaal was taking the press conference alongside Memphis Depay, who also played under the Dutchman at United. The 71-year-old then flung his arm around the forward, before delivering his punchline.

“But the same happened to Memphis,” he explained. “I didn’t pick him at United – and now we want to kiss each other mouth-to-mouth. We’re not going to do that now, but there you go, that’s how things happen.

“I didn’t field Memphis at the time but a head coach doesn’t do this without reason.”

Van Gaal was United manager between 2014 and 2016. The club paid £59.7million – a British transfer record fee at the time – to sign Di Maria from Real Madrid in the summer of 2014.

The move did not work out, with the Argentina international contributing four goals and 12 assists in 32 games before being sold to Paris Saint-Germain just a year into his five-year contract. He struggled to settle in Manchester, but in a recent interview, the 34-year-old laid the blame squarely on Van Gaal.

“My problem at Manchester was the coach,” he told TYC Sports. “Van Gaal was the worst of my career. I would score, assist, and the next day he would show me my misplaced passes.

Manager Louis van Gaal and Angel di Maria of Manchester United

“He displaced me from one day to the other, he didn’t like players being more than him.”

Depay was signed by United in the summer of 2015 for £31m from PSV Eindhoven. He managed just seven goals and six assists in 53 games for the club before moving on to Lyon in 2017.

The forward is now at Barcelona and is enjoying Van Gaal’s management with the Netherlands. He will likely start the quarter-final against Argentina when the duo will come up against Di Maria at the Lusail Stadium.

Depay scored the opening goal in the Netherlands’ 3-1 win over the USA in the last round and will come into the game full of confidence.

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