Di Maria questions PSG’s treatment of Messi

Angel Di Maria has questioned Paris Saint-Germain’s decision to give Kylian Mbappe ‘all the power’ – especially when they also have Lionel Messi in their ranks.

The French giants tied superstar forward Mbappe down to a new three-year deal in May, reportedly worth £4million a month, plus a £100m signing-on fee, making him the highest-paid player in the world.

PSG’s contract is also said to include authority over picking the team and hiring and firing managers, which has led to tensions with high-profile team-mates like Brazilian forward Neymar.

And Di Maria told ESPN Argentina that he is ‘surprised’ PSG have bestowed so much responsibility on Mbappe.

He said: “I think France in general have given Mbappe a lot of responsibility. The people, the president, PSG.

“They made him stay when he could have left and gave him all the power to be him and no one else.

“But there’s a big difference, they gave him all that power with the best in history [Messi] next to him.

“I think they gave him all that power and strength because he’s French, he was born there, won a World Cup and has an extraordinary career ahead of him. But all that aside, when I was at PSG he was a good boy and I don’t think he’s changed so much.”