Di Maria's Father Explains Player's Move to Manchester United and Reveals PSG Deal was Close

Angel Di Maria's father has explained the new Manchester United player's decision to leave Real Madrid for Old Trafford, claiming the Spanish giants didn't value him enough – while admitting he was also close to joining Paris Saint-Germain.

United completed the signing of the Argentinian on Monday after agreeing to pay around £60m to Real Madrid to secure his services.

The player then addressed his reasons for leaving Real Madrid in an open letter, claiming "someone at the club didn't like him".

"Many things were said and many lies circulated. They always wanted to pin the idea of leaving the club on me, but that's not how it was. Unfortunately, my football isn't to someone's taste. The only thing I asked for was a fair deal," Di Maria wrote.

And now his father has explained the situation during an interview with Spanish radio station Cope.

"Angel was never really appreciated at Madrid. It was always as if they didn't want him at the club. They never showed him any affection," Miguel Di Maria told Cope.

"Angel was tired of always having to prove himself over and over again. They signed Isco and Bale to replace him last summer but he had already proven himself.

"Madrid have lost a key player, someone who could make the difference at any given moment."

Meanwhile, Di Maria's father admits he "will now earn €8m a year at Manchester United" while Real Madrid's latest offer was €3m lower.

"Madrid never offered him €6m. Their ultimate offer was €5m, which represented a €1.5m payrise. The first problems that arose were the result of financial reasons. He joined Madrid for a certain salary and they left it at that," he said.

"He is happy at Manchester United now and they treat him well. Their financial offer was also higher than what Madrid had offered."

And even though Di Maria recently claimed he just considered United's offer, his father revealed he was also in negotiations with PSG.

"He could have signed for PSG but I don't know what happened. But they made the same bid for him and for the club. Around €8m to the player and around €75m, €80m to Real Madrid. But I think the deal collapsed as they couldn't sell other players [to fund the move]."