Hostile crowd only made Angel Di Maria stronger, says PSG manager Thomas Tuchel

Image Credits: Reuters

Paris St Germain forward Angel Di Maria was spurred on by the hostile crowd at Manchester United on Tuesday, the French club`s manager Thomas Tuchel said.

 Di Maria was United`s record signing in 2014 when he was bought for 59.7 million pounds ($77.04 million) but an underwhelming debut season under then-manager Louis Van Gaal led to the Argentina international`s departure to PSG a year later.

In the Champions League last 16 on Tuesday, the 30-year-old was booed by fans and had a beer bottle thrown in his direction but he had the last laugh by having a hand in both PSG goals in a 2-0 win.

"He had a hard time in the first half, the guy is very competitive. If you tease him, it does not make him weaker," Tuchel told reporters.

"I thought he had a good relationship with the fans. He was a bit nervous and needed to be calmer in the first half. In the end he did well."