Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has defended the sale of Angel di Maria to Manchester United, saying the winger lost his cool at important times last season.
26-year-old Argentine winger Di Maria was a big part of Madrid’s Champions League success last season but was sold to Man united in the summer for a fee of £59.1m.
And, his former boss Ancelotti has defended the sale, claiming that Di Maria was greedy and would lose control of his football at important times in important games.
“Di Maria could take matches by storm with his energy, but he also used to lose control sometimes, misplacing important passes,” Ancelotti told Onda Cero.
“People should think twice before saying that James can fill Di Maria’s boots, because they’re very different players.”
The Italian coach then went on to praise new Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos, who has stepped up to replace Xabi Alonso, who left for Bayern Munich.
“Kroos is another ‘professor’. He has aced his crash course in replacing Xabi Alonso,” said the Italian.
“I’ve been surprised by the fact that he never gets on edge. He always plays the same way, whatever the pressure. He’s very important: a lot of our play goes through him.
“What’s more, he’s still very young. He plays at pace, always picks the right pass, doesn’t lose the ball and wins back possession.”