Angel Di Maria blames 'problems with people at Manchester United' for his Premier League exit

Former Manchester United star Angel Di Maria has admitted some "problems with people at the club", being dropped by manager Louis van Gaal and the attempted burglary at his house were the main reasons behind his desire to leave Old Trafford just one season after arriving at the club.

The Paris Saint-Germain star also claims he never wanted to leave Real Madrid but was forced to move to the Premier League giants due to things that happened at the Santiago Bernabeu "behind closed doors".

"I started very well but then I had problems with people at the club and I started being dropped to the bench. These things happen in football," the player said to Marca after being asked what went wrong at Old Trafford. "Then also [I suffered] the robbery at my house. Everything made me to want to leave [United] very quick."

Di Maria revealed he could have moved to Ligue 1 side PSG instead of Manchester United. He said: "I could have come [to PSG] earlier [in the summer of 2014] but for different financial issues the move failed and finally I went to United. In summer, I had the opportunity again and I could not say no."

The Argentine, nevertheless, suggested he would have loved to have stayed at Real Madrid but was forced to leave after he was accused of being a money-grabber. "It was always my intention to stay, never to go, I don't know much about what went on there behind closed doors, that's stuff the agents deal with," he said. "I left Madrid the way I left but what I took with me was the fantastic moment of that final applause at the Bernabeu and I feel OK with that."

Di Maria moved to United in the summer of 2014 for a club record fee of £59.7m ($91.1m) after Van Gaal earmarked him as the man to lead his new era at Old Trafford. The Argentine had arguably been the best player at Real Madrid in their run to the Champions League crown and he also helped Argentina reach the 2014 World Cup final.

However, despite enjoying a promising start at Old Trafford, he struggled to make the expected impact, even losing his role in the line-up. Di Maria therefore decided to move to PSG during the summer transfer window.