Manchester United ace Angel di Maria admits he has failed to deliver in recent weeks as winger bids to replicate early form

Angel di Maria has admitted that his form at Manchester United has dropped in recent weeks.

United's record signing made a blistering start to his career in the Barclays Premier League but believes his recent struggles are just part of the settling in process.

Di Maria told MUTV today: 'I've had a couple of games where things haven't gone as well as they could have.

'I think it's part of that settling in process to the English game.

'I started off quite well but I think that made expectations then rise and everyone thought that I would just carry on in the same way, but football is like that, sometimes you have these ups and downs.

'It took me a while to settle in fully in each of the countries where I've played before.

'But I just have to keep working hard and focusing on what I want, which is to do as well as I possibly can.'Last weekend's defeat at Swansea has left United hanging on grimly to the fourth Champions League place and ahead of Saturday's game at home to Sunderland, Di Maria has revealed that the mood at the club has been subdued.

'It's been OK,' he said.

'It's not quite as good as usual because you're not as happy as when you have won a game.

But we have tried to keep our spirits up knowing that we have to keep fighting hard and aiming at staying as high up in the league table as we can.

'We were fortunate in the sense that not all of the teams just behind us won, so it meant that we could remain in the Champions League places and battling to climb higher in the table.

'We'd come off the back of a decent run of results, improving gradually along the way, these things can sometimes happen, not only to us.

'Chelsea had been going well recently but then drew their last game, it happens to everyone.

'It was unfortunate to lose a game after we'd been ahead, but now we have to concentrate on what we've been doing well in order to pick up that positive vibe once again.

'I think the season has been going quite well.

'We're in fourth place, fighting for a Champions League spot, which was the main aim, bringing Manchester United back into that competition.

'We've got a tough game coming up in the FA Cup against Arsenal, so we are there or thereabouts in both competitions, fighting hard to achieve something big.'