The football future of Manchester United midfielder Angel Di Maria became more unclear after it emerged the Argentine international had failed to join up with the club’s US tour as scheduled.
Di Maria, who has been linked to a move to French champions Paris Saint-Germain, had been due to arrive in California on Saturday to join United’s pre-season training camp.
But United manager Louis van Gaal told reporters, after his side’s 3-1 friendly victory over Barcelona at the Levi’s Stadium that Di Maria had failed to board a flight to San Francisco.
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“I have heard that he’s not on the plane so I cannot say anything,” Van Gaal said.
“I have heard that he was not on the plane,” he reiterated.
Di Maria had been excused from the first part of United’s tour after playing in the Copa America along with United teammate Marcos Rojo.
Rojo had also failed to join up with the United squad, but Van Gaal ascribed the defender’s no-show to a passport issue.
“I heard Marcos Rojo was not on the plane, he had passport issues,” Van Gaal said.
“But Di Maria I do not know.”
Shortly afterwards, PSG manager Laurent Blanc said in Charlotte, North Carolina, where the French champions lost on penalties to Chelsea, that transfer talks were well under way.
“It’s a very long, drawn-out affair,” Blanc said. “Two big clubs are having talks. Let’s just wait for the moment and we will see the outcome very shortly.
“For the moment, he (Di Maria) is down to play for Manchester against PSG on Wednesday. For the moment, that is. I repeat that rumour has it that this player has every possibility to join Paris Saint Germain, but … at this moment in time nothing is official.”
A report on the website of Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper shortly before kick-off on Saturday said Van Gaal had informed United’s players that Di Maria was set to join PSG.
Di Maria joined United last year in a £59.7 million (Dh340m) transfer from Real Madrid but failed to settle during a difficult first season with the Premier League club.
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