Copa America 2019: 5 players Argentina should drop after the tournament

#2 Angel Di Maria

Di Maria's time in the national set-up should be ended as soon as possible

Such promise, such potential but Alas! So little in terms of the end product.

This has been the story of Di Maria's stint as an Albiceleste player and the time has come to sever the relationship for good.

A member of the gold-plated generation of exceptional talent (at youth level), for a short while, it seemed that the Rosario-born player would be the answer to Argentina's longstanding problems on the wings.

However, the last meaningful thing that di Maria has done for his national team was to score the goal that beat Switzerland (last minute of extra-time) in the 2nd round at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

His decline has been a rapid and an absolute train wreck. From star man in Real Madrid's 2014 UEFA Champions League title win to flop at Manchester United and bench-warmer at PSG, di Maria's career has unraveled badly.

If call-ups were to be judged on club form, the 31-year-old should be nowhere near the national setup as he has become an expensive bench-warmer for the French champions (alongside Julian Draxler).

The extended playtime he got last season was as a result of Neymar's injury issues and despite being decent in Ligue 1, he showed his true mettle in the UCL where after a great display in the first leg against Manchester United, he was invisible in the return leg,

He was abysmal against Colombia as he failed to deliver any cross or make any incisive run of note in the time he spent on the pitch. The biggest surprise was that he even lasted until halftime as he was the worst player on the pitch.

The Di Maria train has run its course and is of no use to anyone in the national set-up anymore.