Football
ESPN staff 9y

Angel Di Maria expects Manchester United to return to Champions League

Angel Di Maria says he is happy at Manchester United and has every expectation that they will qualify for next season's Champions League.

Di Maria arrived at United from Real Madrid after a bitter exit from the Bernabeu in the summer, having just played a starring role in the Spanish club's Champions League triumph against Atletico Madrid.

It was reported in the summer that the Argentina international had been keen to join Champions League participants Paris Saint-Germain, and he revealed earlier this month that he would have joined the Ligue 1 champions had it not been for financial issues.

Nonetheless, he said he has not taken any particular interest in European competition this season, preferring to spend his time with daughter Mia, who was born three months prematurely last year and had faced a battle for survival.

"They're fine now," he told the Daily Mail when asked about his family. "They're happy. She was in hospital for two months but there weren't any further problems, thank God. So, we're really great and happy to be here in Manchester.

"I think that, with what happened with my daughter, I realised that there isn't anything more important than that. You just want to be with your kids in these difficult moments, like the ones my daughter went through.

"So, no, I don't worry about the Champions League. I knew when I came to Manchester that I wouldn't be playing in the Champions League but what I was thinking -- what I think now -- was that I would do my bit to help my teammates qualify for the Champions League so that the next year we would be back playing important games. I think that will happen."

The 26-year-old made a superb start to life at Old Trafford but has since struggled to match those initial high standards.

However, he added: "I'm not worried about that. I think things have gone well since I got here. I'm doing all right with goals and assists. There were one or two games when I wasn't playing at the same level as I had at the start but, well, I guess that's pretty normal when I'm getting used to things, isn't it?

"The truth is that I'm pleased to be here in Manchester. Being here is something really important for me, so from that side of things I'm really pleased. The rest will come."

Di Maria is also enjoying playing alongside the in-form Wayne Rooney, who recently said he would select the winger in his dream United five-a-side team along with Radamel Falcao, Robin van Persie and Juan Mata.

"It's an honour that he chose me for his team," Di Maria said. "Playing with him is a pleasure and a point of pride. When I was 15, more or less, I used to watch him playing with United. I admired him and wanted to be like that. Whether it's him, [assistant manager Ryan] Giggs, or any of the others, playing with them is something really special."

He added: "Rooney is at the top level. The other day I was talking to my friend and I said, 'Rooney and me understand each other, just like [Lionel] Messi and me in the Argentina squad, or Cristiano [Ronaldo] at Real Madrid.'

"I get on really well with Rooney. We get together on the pitch to kick the ball about, to do things. He's a spectacular player and he's one of the top players in the game."

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