Angel Di Maria says a breakdown in his relationship with Louis van Gaal at Manchester United made him "hate being there" during his short spell in the Premier League.

DI Maria joined United on a five-year deal for a British record fee of £59.7m from Real Madrid in August 2014 and enjoyed a strong start to life at Old Trafford.

After scoring three goals and registering four assists in his first six games, things eventually fizzled out, leading to his departure after just 12 months to join Paris Saint-Germain.

Van Gaal has said in the past that he never asked to sign Di Maria, and that he felt there was no exact position where Di Maria was more effective in his system.

But Di Maria, a World Cup winner with Argentina, revealed that Van Gaal zeroed in on the negatives of his game – never the positives – which started a breakdown in their relationship.

"Things started really well," Di Maria told BBC Sport. "Everything was flowing.

"Then I started to have issues with Van Gaal, and from there, everything fell apart.

"But then, suddenly, we started having lots of meetings about all the things I was doing wrong on the pitch.

"He never showed me what I was doing well, just the negatives, over and over. Eventually, I got fed up.

"Life there was very different. It gets dark really early, and then the cold started. Everything kept snowballing. There was also the break-in at my house.

"When all of that happens, when you are not playing, when things aren't going well for you, when you have problems inside the club, it ends up affecting you a lot. It made me hate being there.

"I got robbed in Paris, too, and still stayed for another two or three years, because life there was good.

"In Manchester, everything just snowballed. I wanted to prioritise my family, and that is why I left."

Di Maria has since gone on to play for Juventus and Benfica before returning to his boyhood club Rosario Central last year.

Despite the turbulence of his time in Manchester, Di Maria says he has no regrets over his decision to move to the club.

"But when it comes to the Premier League, the atmosphere, life at the club, honestly, I was left with a really good feeling because there were great people inside the club who always treated me well, who always supported me and helped me with everything. For that, I'm grateful," he added.

"It was a decision I wanted to make. I wanted to go to United. The football, arriving at the stadiums, the atmosphere, the love from the fans, I don't regret any of it.

"Joining them was incredible. I played as Manchester United on the PlayStation. I used to play with [Wayne] Rooney, and suddenly, he was beside me."