Paris, Sep 16 (IANS): French football champions Paris Saint-Germain coach Laurent Blanc wants new signing Angel Di Maria to score more goals after the midfielder grabbed his first in their 2-0 win over Swedish football club Malmo FF in the Champions League.
The former Manchester United forward marked his Champions League debut for his new employers by breaking the deadlock in the fourth minute of the Group A fixture, goal.com reported on Tuesday.
Teammate Edinson Cavani followed that up with the second after the break but Di Maria was the main attraction in the French capital, and coach Blanc wants the Argentine to continue contributing decisively as he nears his physical peak.
"Di Maria is rising to the top. He arrived late to the preparation and he was injured too. I think we were right to put him to work physically and rest him. He will need it. He needs competition right now," Blanc said.
"He didn't play 90 minutes but you can see his abilities in front of the goal already. This boy can bring us quality and assists but also a certain number of goals," the coach said.
Di Maria received a huge ovation from the PSG supporters when he was replaced by Ezequiel Lavezzi with six minutes remaining, but the 27-year-old Argentine insisted he was putting the performance of the team above his own's.
"I'm very happy with how the match went. We delivered the game we had to. The first game is always very important," Di Maria said.