Why everyone wins as Angel Di Maria leaves Manchester United for Paris Saint-Germain

There exists a sense of inevitability over Angel Di Maria's belated move to Paris Saint-Germain from Manchester United.

Belated because prior to the realisation that UEFA's Financial Fair Play rules would prevent them from getting their man, last summer, the Parisians looked in pole position to sign the then Real Madrid star for a similarly eye-watering amount to the sum that sent him to England for a British record-breaking £59.7 million.

Now, as it becomes clear that his body language and erratic form was indicative of a sense of unease and discomfort with his choice to plump for Manchester that goes beyond any unhappiness over roles or Louis van Gaal's tactics, he looks set to correct that mistake by finally moving onto PSG before the start of the new season.

United have been ultimately played the role of being a high-paying middle man for the Argentinian prior to him securing passage to his desired destination. Fans have understandably reacted poorly to the news that the player who back in August looked to be the perfect fit for the club's hallowed No. 7 shirt will walk out on them and that their hopes and dreams of watching him at his anarchically creative best have been dashed.

Across social media he has come to be called a "bottler", "coward" and the rest of it. Choosing to cut his losses and leave Manchester sooner rather than later is apparently good cause to question his manliness and intelligence. Yet regardless of how jilted and used supporters may feel, they should not let emotion cloud their minds from the very real silver lining that would suit everyone involved if Di Maria does move to Paris.

He remains arguably the most brilliant and inventive individual within United's squad but the Argentinian is a talent who has always been messy, unsustainable and transient in a way that is incompatible with the systematic methods and "philosophy" of Louis van Gaal. While Ed Woodward and the club's hierarchy may have set their sights on bringing more Ballon d'Or nominees to Old Trafford, their current manager seems far more concerned with adding players compatible to his collective vision than obliging far more singular talents.

Speaking during the club's pre-season tour of the USA, he underlined what he looks for in footballers beyond pure, game-changing ability. For him, no player can be an island, isolated from the needs and dynamics of the group, no matter how impressive they may be on their own merits.

“He has to know what he’s doing as a player, as a team player and when you are a Louis van Gaal player then you don't know only your function in your position, but also the other functions in their positions, and then you can help each other much more," he said. "Then you are improving always the team. That's why you have to improve your vision, not only in your position, but you also have to know what the team needs.”

There are fundamental differences that probably meant both player and manager were always likely to clash over style of play and a stark difference in opinion and values.

At Real, especially under Carlo Ancelotti, the Argentinian thrived in a deeper, tucked-in role to the left of the team's midfield three, alongside the likes of Sami Khedira and Luka Modric. He was in many ways the driving force of the side that finally captured that all-important 10th Champions League title in 2014, racing forward, attacking teams out wide and inside and constantly looking for that chance or killer ball to force the initiative for his team.

Even though his job was to support and tee up others, he played it on his own terms and in his own way rather than to the specific instructions of his manager or some over-arcing system.

With Cristiano Ronaldo played out on the left in front of him, with either Marcelo or Fabio Coentrao bombing on up the flank on the over-lap, he did plenty of running and less glamorous work for those around him, such was the case with Argentina and Lionel Messi at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil too. Though he may have been a chaotic creator, forever looking to spam chances through quantity rather than selective quality, his wiry frame and tireless legs ensured that however much he gave away the ball, in the end it was almost always worth it for Real. He was even the man of the match in their Champions League final triumph over Atletico Madrid.

Ancelotti, who has always been a manager adept at cramming more star players into a side than many would believe possible, certainly trusted in his ability enough to make him a vital component in his side, brushing off his obvious flaws in order to champion his unpredictable strengths, and was rewarded with glory. Real's tactics and the make up of their squad also helped him to show his best qualities. They always looked to play on the counter and hurt teams with pace and very direct attacks. It was fast, high-impact football that championed in-the-moment individualism, skill and instincts. Unlike Van Gaal, Ancelotti was happy for his players and the different sections of his team to compartmentalise rather than always trying to pull together like some coherent, 'Total Football' monster.

Their defenders would hang back, ready to resist and bat away the dangers that would develop whenever their wilful colleagues up front would over-egg an opportunity or pick the wrong option. Di Maria's fellow midfielders would sit back and hold while he and the forwards did their own thing. There was no grand, strict master plan with the burden of stringent demands sent from the bench. Ancelotti kept it simple and was entirely obvious in his methods: play his strongest 11, let them get on with it and watch nature take its course, up front, at the back and on the scoreboard.

Perhaps Di Maria merely came to Manchester a few years too late? Had he arrived during the reign of Sir Alex Ferguson, he may well have been able to become the eccentric great many had hoped he would in a red shirt. After all, the Scot was always able to make certain allowances for truly special players that could augment his team and shift the balances of games with a volatile bit of rare and temperamental flair.

Ironically, the club side that would likely suit the Argentinian best right now is the one that appears to be on the verge of selling Pedro to United. While the Spaniard may have had all the skills required to be a vital part of Pep Guardiola's very best Barcelona teams, he has looked unsuited to the less methodical, more improvisational era of Luis Enrique: a side where the spontaneity of Di Maria would stand him in good stead alongside Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez.

At PSG however, he will find a similarly accommodating squad and manager to the ones he left behind in Madrid, and perhaps too the kind of role he has been looking for.

Di Maria's motives for moving to United were never entirely clear. It was obvious that off-field issues had seen to it that he had to leave the Bernabeu, but after years of running for others and playing second-fiddle to the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale as a second-tier Galactico, it seemed that he now wanted top-billing of his own somewhere.

After having powered Real to La Decima, and his countrymen to a World Cup final, the Argentinian may have believed he'd done enough for others to start covering for him. As such, when he arrived at Old Trafford, he did so with certain expectations, or at least that's how it looked on the field of play at times. First impressions suggested that he would be an incredible signing: a player of sheer, wilful excitement who could ad-lib an assist out of nowhere and get fans up off their seats whenever he had the ball. Yet as Van Gaal's influence over the team grew, Di Maria's shrank, as too did his confidence and appetite to fight.

His head dipped. His form suffered. His assists became scrappy, apologetic consolations for sub-par performances rather than the touches of inspiration they had been previously. His game against Leicester City, where he pulled plenty of strings but United lost 5-3, summed up the conflict of interest at the heart of his difficulties to get on Van Gaal's wavelength and fit into the direction that the team was going.

Following a burglary which unsettled his young family, his on-field demeanour read as that of a man who had already made up his mind. Without the necessary hunger and motivation to struggle and adapt, it began to look as though he had realised his error in throwing his lot in with Van Gaal and a United side that were very much still a work-in-progress, regardless of the money already spent.

By comparison, Ander Herrera, who was largely marginalised during the first half of the season, showed plenty of willing amid even greater scrutiny yet discovered what was required of him, how his way of playing was at odds with the system, and changed his approach accordingly. He went from being a player too risky to start games in the first of the season into a dependable midfielder capable of helping to bring about the kind of balance and control his manager craved.

In Paris, Di Maria will find far more reassuring and instructive examples of what to expect by gazing upon the achievements and treatment of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Lucas Moura, Javier Pastore and his fellow countryman, Ezequiel Lavezzi. All have enjoyed exceptional individual periods, or at least stints of high form, within a cash-rich environment that panders to stars and players wishing to be valued as such.

With the likes of Thiago Silva and Blaise Matuidi to organise and fight for him, Di Maria will be free to float about the pitch as the luxury player he now looks to want to be, always looking to carve out some individual glory by crafting the spectacular rather than playing it smarter and more astute to keep shape and retain the ball.

As the undisputed dominant force in French football too, silverware should come easier than at United and the far more congested top spot of the Premier League. And who knows? His presence could even help the Qatar-backed Parisians to take a few steps closer to their ultimate goal of project-vindicating, European glory.

Van Gaal has history when it comes to ejecting imaginative attackers whose creativity doesn't fit in with his methods, the most famous example of which was Rivaldo, who fell out with the Dutchman and left Barcelona in 2002 only to win the Champions League the summer after. However, if Di Maria were to manage to make a similar impact a year on from departing Old Trafford, it would not be a case of "what could have been" for United fans.

He clearly doesn't fit into what Van Gaal is trying to create in Manchester and now looks to be in need of a new club and manager better prepared to offer him the comfort zone he desires to reach such heights again. Fans may look at the differences in fees between what he was bought for last summer and what he may go for in 2015 and sigh at the waste of funds, but United are hardly a team pleading poverty at present.

With the impending arrival of Pedro, the addition of Memphis Depay and the prospect of the likes of Adnan Januzaj, Andrea Pereira and Jesse Lingard all having a greater impact on the first team in the new campaign ahead, he may not be as missed as his on-paper ability and reputation suggests. After all, United enjoyed their best run of form last season long after Di Maria appeared to mentally check out post-Christmas.

Yet the season to come will not be about standing still for Van Gaal. He admits himself that to complete his objectives of winning titles and re-establishing the club in Europe, he still needs another special, one-off player to make the difference when others cannot.

As he told reporters in America: "We can use much more creativity with it. So now we have Rooney, Mata, Depay, Young, Januzaj, Wilson, Herrera. [...] Young has had a fantastic season, but he is not a Neymar and we have to compete with that kind of class.

"[Chelsea] have Hazard, he can always make goals, he can always make an action and decide a goal. Manchester City have Aguero, it's the same type. Barcelona has Messi, Neymar and Suarez. We, as Manchester United, have to compete with these clubs. So we have to look also for these kind of players."