Former Arsenal striker Charlie Nicholas says Manchester United should sell Angel di Maria.

The Scot believes United should replace the Argie with Real Madrid star Gareth Bale.

Nicholas said: "If you want to make a serious statement, then you need to throw everything at getting Gareth Bale.

"He's the sort of player that can create a massive excitement and help United make an immediate impact when they return to the Champions League.

"I think Bale would be open to returning to the Premier League, even if he wouldn't say it.

"United can say to him, 'you've been successful in Spain winning the Champions League but after your ups and downs, you can come here and be our Ronaldo, rather than playing second fiddle'.

"They need to offload [Angel] Di Maria, who came in and offered a lot of energy but now doesn't seem totally committed like he did at Real Madrid."