Manchester United winger Angel di Maria has conceded that he hasn't been at his level best of late, but is working hard to settle down and adapt to the English game.
The Argentine has a total of nine assists to his name this term, second only to Chelsea's Cesc Fabregas, which compliments the four goals he has scored for the Red Devils.
However, last year's Champions League final's Man of the Match insisted that having made the fans' expectations rise with impressive performances during the initial part of the season he has failed to live up to what was thought to be on the cards. He also feels that a player's life is not always smooth and the ups must be taken with the downs.
According to Di Maria, he is still adapting to English conditions and will work harder on the training ground to improve further.
Citing examples from a couple of games this season, when he has not been at his best, the 27-year-old added that he has always taken his time to settle down in a new country and that is what has been the case at Manchester United as well.
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"I’ve had a couple of games where things haven’t gone as well as they could have", Di Maria said in an interview with his club's official site.
"I think it’s part of that settling-in process to the English game.
"I started off quite well, but I think that then made expectations rise and everyone thought I would just carry on in the same way.
"But football is like that, sometimes you have these ups and downs. It took me a while to settle fully in each of the countries where I’ve played before.
"I just have to keep working hard and focusing on what I want, which is to do as well as I possibly can."
Di Maria's side, placed fourth in the league table with 47 points from 26 matches, will take on Sunderland in a league fixture this weekend.
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