Zlatan Ibrahimovich believes Angel Di Maria can help Paris Saint-Germain realise their dream of winning the Champions League and has urged the Argentinian to seal his move from Manchester United.

The former Real Madrid forward missed a flight to join up with Louis van Gaal's squad in San Francisco while Laurent Blanc and his PSG side were taking on Chelsea in North Carolina.

Blanc, the former France captain, although stressing a deal was not yet rubber-stamped, was hopeful Di Maria would join up with the French champions this week as their own North American tour continues. Ibrahimovich however cannot wait to welcome him into the fold.

“I don’t know if it is done but of course if you get a chance to play with Di Maria it is a fantastic thing. The guy has won everything. He is a fantastic player who plays for the team,” said the Swedish striker.

“He brings pace to a team. He brings quality, big quality and for sure he will make our team even better than it is today. So for sure he is welcome and we will receive him with open arms.

“It shows how much they are willing to get what they want. By investing in players like that. Because every year they invest to get big players but also players that fit in the team. So there is no limits. The people behind this they want to become big. They are dreaming bigger and they will get bigger.

“It’s all about small details. Real Madrid are a fantastic team. They have fantastic players. Of course when Real Madrid got Bale they became better for sure and we will become better for sure with Di Maria.”

United manager Louis van Gaal “does not know why” Di Maria has not joined the pre-season tour.

“He was not on the plane,“ Van Gaal told reporters after United’s 3-1 win over Barcelona in Santa Clara on Saturday.

“Marcos Rojo was also not on the plane. He has had a passport issue – for Angel Di Maria, I don’t know why. I cannot say anything.”

(Guardian service)