'No doubt' - Angel Di Maria insists ex-Man Utd boss Louis van Gaal is 'worst' manager he's played for as Argentina hero puts Diego Maradona in his top three

The Dutch manager was at the helm of the Red Devils when Di Maria was signed from Real Madrid for close to £60 million ($79m) in 2014 - the highest transfer fee ever paid by a British club at the time. However, he struggled to adapt to Van Gaal's methods and only lasted one season in Manchester before heading to Paris Saint-Germain.

In an interview with ESPN Argentina, Di Maria said: "The worst (manager) is Van Gaal, you can be sure of that. In case you had any doubt, I'll clear that up for you right now."

While Van Gaal may have left a negative impression, Di Maria had nothing but praise for two of his national team coaches, Lionel Scaloni and Alejandro Sabella. Scaloni, who led Argentina to victory in the 2022 World Cup, is considered by Di Maria as "one of the best" managers he has worked with.

The 36-year-old added: "Scaloni, without a doubt. He's a great coach in every sense because of the staff he has, the connection with the players and how he manages the games, it's perfect. I think he's one of the best. Then, Alejandro (Sabella) too, was a manager who had a big impact on me, I learned a lot with him. And after, it's hard. I had a lot of coaches, [Jose] Mourinho, and [Carlo] Ancelotti. I played for so many good managers that it's hard to pick."

Di Maria completed his top-three list of managers with Argentina legend Diego Maradona. He hailed the 1986 World Cup winner as more than just a coach to him and his deep affection for Maradona was evident as he described the late football icon's profound influence on his life and career.

"I won't consider him as [just] a manager because to me he was more of a close friend, someone who stopped by to chat," Di María said. "He didn't seem like a manager but more like a friend, a brother, a dad. A dad more than anything. He would put up with me when nobody else did and helped me to move forward. The more criticism I received, the more he supported me. He was everything to me. Diego is the best that ever was. I've said it before, Leo Messi is the greatest of all time, but Diego is Diego. To me, to Argentina and the world."

Di Maria hung up his international boots after lifting the Copa America trophy with Argentina in the summer. Hence he has two weeks to unwind before returning to action with current club Benfica against Santa Clara on September 14 in the Portuguese top-flight.