The closer Angel Di Maria comes to joining PSG, the more I feel Manchester United are sleepwalking into one of their greatest transfer gaffes.

Twelve months ago the 27 year-old was one of the most sought-after players in world football; the Man of the Match in the 2014 Champions League final and the dynamo of Real Madrid’s successes throughout the tournament; an equally talismanic member of the Argentina squad that reached the World Cup’s ultimate showdown against Germany; an apparent target of virtually every elite European club; and subsequently, the most expensive signing in Premier League history, setting the Red Devils back a whopping £59.7million.

Now, after half a season of wayward form, Di Maria is set to become Juan Sebastian Veron mark II, following a similar path to his equally talented countryman who arrived at Old Trafford amid a record-breaking, £28.1million fanfare in summer 2001 only to be jettisoned to Chelsea two years later.

But has the footballing talent miraculously drained from Di Maria’s body, mimicking the Basketball stars in Michael Jordan’s Space Jam? Is the Argentine not still one of the most desirable attacking midfielders in world football? Did Manchester United not sign him on a five-year, rather than a one-year contract? Is there any other way to look at the situation than simply the Red Devils selling a world-class player at a £15million loss to a Champions League rival?

Of course, the South American hasn’t performed like a world-class midfielder, a Champions League winner, a World Cup finalist or the most expensive player in Premier League history over the last nine months or so. He arrived at Old Trafford in a blaze of honeymoon form, typified by his deft lob against Leicester City, but had dried up by mid-October, managing just one goal in his next 27 appearances for the Red Devils and finding himself a permanence on Louis van Gaal’s subs bench from March onwards.

But overall, the Albiceleste star finished up as United’s top assistor in the Premier League last season with ten set-ups, more than Wayne Rooney and Juan Mata combined, whilst there are several explanations for his drastic slump in form.

Particularly, that summer 2014 was the most exhilarating and demanding summer of his career, including the two most prestigious cup finals in club and international football. Burnout at some point last season always seemed inevitable and it was exacerbated by a 12,000 mile round trip to Beijing and Hong Kong during October’s international break – coinciding, rather tellingly, with Di Maria’s goal tally drying up.

Secondly, and equally importantly, van Gaal struggled to find a role for the attacking midfielder last term as United continually fluctuated between back fours, back threes and midfield diamonds. In his first 16 games for the Red Devils, Di Maria was tested in no less than 6 different positions, ranging from central midfield to centre-forward, and five different formations. It soon became easier for the Old Trafford boss to remove the Argentine from the equation altogether, rather than futilely attempting to force him in.

Yet, Di Maria is still the world-class talent he was when arriving at Old Trafford last summer, albeit now carrying a bit more baggage. And rather than selling the midfielder at a £15million loss, this should be the summer in which United begin building a team around him; finding the players and the system that fully unleashes of £59.7million’s worth of Albicelestial ability. They certainly have the financial muscle and the pulling power to do so, spending £76million already this transfer window on five players who featured at last summer’s World Cup. Resultantly, it seems improbable a club of such vast resources can’t find a formula that works, for a player they invested nearly £60million in less than a year ago.

Of course, few managers in world football are stubborn and dispassionate enough to keep a player who isn’t happy, and clearly Di Maria’s already fallen out of love with Manchester – in no small part due to a burglary attempt on his Cheshire mansion in January, forcing his family to swiftly relocate to a city-centre apartment.

But publicly, United have done little to turn the tide; van Gaal remaining adamant the former Bernabeu star must adapt to his philosophy, using words like ‘hope’ regarding his future rather than simply insisting he won’t be sold, and the final nail in the coffin, the AWOL narrative materialising over the last few days from United’s pre-season tour. There’s been no hands-off warning, no renouncement of rumours, and that’s allowed the PSG transfer to gain momentum.

United will, at the very least, be kicking Di Maria as far away from Old Trafford as possible by selling to the Parisians. Unlike Veron, he isn’t about to join one of their closest title rivals. Yet it still seems like a monumental waste of both finance and footballing ability, whilst strengthening a club the Red Devils have a probable chance of encountering in the Champions League next season. A chance that Di Maria’s move only makes more likely, in the European tournament’s typically romantic sub-plot style.

Whilst few feared the long-term effects of Veron’s 2003 departure, things could be very different this time around. Rather than making the most of one of the world’s best attacking midfielders, capable of unlocking the door to their first Premier League title since Sir Alex Ferguson’s 2013 retirement, United are letting the Argentine leave, at a loss, for a continental rival. On both United’s and PSG’s fortunes, negatively and positively respectively, this transfer could have an enormous impact.