Angel di Maria looked on his way out a season before he actually left Real Madrid as the arrival of world record signing Gareth Bale took his position as the right winger. However, he emerged as the Carrilero (shuttler), a role in which he had excelled formerly at Benfica, and went on to finish the season as Madrid’s best player.

His loss in form of late has been quite unexpected. After a reserved display at Turf Moor on his debut, he shone against QPR and Leicester before claiming a man of the match performance in the 2-1 win over Everton. However, he hasn’t been the same since getting injured in late November.

He hasn’t scored in the league since early October, while the assist he registered against Burnley was his first in all competitions since he provided for Wayne Rooney to seal the win at the Emirates. Quite a few average performances have been put in by United’s club record signing with the manager failing to field the Argentina international in one specific position.

His versatility, which was initially seen as a boon has been turning into a big disadvantage of late as the manager has tinkered with formations. He has played in six different positions in his short career at Old Trafford, with four of those — up front, left, of a midfield three, in the hole behind two strikers, and on the right of a flat 4-4-2 — coming in the last four league games.

It was a bit of a surprise when Van Gaal switched to an orthodox 4-4-2 in the second half against Burnley, With di Maria as the right winger and Adnan Januzaj on the left. The 27-year-old was able to run directly at the left back and was up to his tricky best and would excel in that role if the manager decides to stick with the formation.

However, if Van Gaal decides to switch back to a 4-3-1-2, the shuttler’s role is where Di Maria has played most of his professional life. His tireless runs and never ending energy levels suit him that role whilst also performing defensive duties diligently.

It is true that injuries have ravaged the campaign, but despite being in 3rd spot, United are yet to play good football consistently. They run the risk of other top four contenders chasing them down because the gap is so tight, and a difficult set of fixtures lies in front of them. The Dutchman needs to find one system that suits his world class attack in order to bring some stability to the side.

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