Benzema backing for Di Maria

Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema believes that former teamate Angel Di Maria has the quality to take Paris Saint-Germain to another level.

Di Maria spent four season at the Bernebeu before joining Manchester United in 2014 for a reported fee of £59.7 million but was out the door at Old Trafford after just one underwhelming campaign in England.

Now at PSG, Benzema fully expects the Argentine to once again regain his best form and admits he is surprised the winger struggled to make a mark in the Premier League.

"Di Maria is a great guy! I have a great understanding with him, not just in a football sense but as a person too," he told Le Parisien. "He has it all: speed, percussion and technique.

"At Real Madrid, he did everything - he played in the middle, on the wing and even at left back. He is cool and funny. A great team-mate.

"After the great season he had in 2014, when we won the Champions League and he reached the World Cup final, I was very surprised it didn't work out at United.

"In a team, there is not one player who can do everything by himself, but Di Maria can help a lot in the Champions League because he has the experience of big games and knows all about playing at a high level."