Diego Forlan urges United to keep Di Maria but he reckons van Gaal doesn’t like South Americans

One of the best players in the world and he's worth the effort.

Preach, Diego. United's old Uruguayan has backed his fellow South American, Angel Di Maria, to be a success at Old Trafford but he has urged the club to help him out. Diego Forlan wrote in his Mirror column that his old club need to put the effort in to get Di Maria back to his world-beating best. He was surprised that they acquired the former Real Madrid midfielder in the first place and he knows that the real Angel hasn't just disappeared into thin air. "I thought he was a superb signing for United because he is one of the best players in the world, but I was slightly surprised, too," Forlan said. But he is also worried that van Gaal won't have patience for the Argentine. "Louis van Gaal has never been a fan of South American players, as my good friend Juan Roman Riquelme will tell you from his time under the Dutchman at Barcelona. "Van Gaal also had a habit of letting his South Americans leave when he was at Bayern Munich, yet United signed both Di Maria and Radamel Falcao, the Colombia striker, on huge money last summer. "Players are not robots and if there's something wrong then their coaches need to find out what the problem is. Di Maria is worth the effort. He offers something different from almost every other player." United tried him on the wing after his good form began to disappear and it told when he was taken from midfield in spells - like it did for Madrid, too. "Real Madrid really missed his driving runs last season," he added. "He is quick, he makes assists and he can also do the hardest thing in football — beat a player one-on-one.   "United will regret it if he leaves. He should be given another season to prove himself and United should try to understand him better and trust him."