Cristiano Ronaldo has wished Angel Di Maria luck but warned him about the “big” responsibility he will have wearing Manchester United’s iconic No 7 shirt.
Di Maria will join a long list of Manchester United greats, including Ronaldo, to wear the shirt.
Starting with George Best in the 1960s, the shirt has been handed to several of the club’s greats – captain marvel Bryan Robson, French genius Eric Cantona, England skipper David Beckham and then Ronaldo.
The shirt may have had slightly less success in recent years having been worn by Michael Owen and then Antonio Valencia, but United fans will be hoping the £59.7m star can restore it to its former glory.
"It's good for him," Ronaldo said of Di Maria’s move to the 20-time English champions.
"Manchester [United] is one of the best clubs in the world, will be good for him and I wish the best of luck for him. He deserves it, he's a fantastic player. He's going to do well in Manchester United."
But Ronaldo did have a warning for the 26-year-old.
Speaking at his first press conference as a Manchester United player, Di Maria said he was "aware of [the shirt’s] importance".
He said: "Cristiano Ronaldo spoke to me at Real Madrid and explained. I hope I can live up to it.
"United is a great club and has already won many trophies. It was my boyhood dream to play for United. I come here to help raise their game help them to be great again and to win many trophies with them."
It is unclear in which position Di Maria will play under Louis van Gaal; the Dutch boss admitted he may scrap his 3-5-2 to better accommodate his new star.
Di Maria added: "I wanted to come here to help the team to get into the Champions League and I think that I can help. I am very pleased that the manager chose me to come to Manchester United. We have to work for a miracle."
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