Eight facts about new Manchester United man Daley Blind.
Manchester United have had a particularly busy summer transfer window, with AS Monaco loanee striker Radamel Falcao not being the only late window signing – there was also £13.8 million man Daley Blind from Ajax.
Here are eight things that we believe United fans need to know about Blind:
He is the current Dutch footballer of the year
Blind was awarded the 2013/14 Eredivisie Player of the Year award for his superb performances in a title winning campaign for Ajax, meaning that the 24 year-old is a player who is right at the top of his game. Plenty of winners of this award have gone on to succeed in the Premier League, with Wilfried Bony and Jan Vertonghen having been the two previous winners and Luis Suarez and Dirk Kuyt also being previous winners – although Afonso Alves offers a cautionary tale from 2006/07.
His father Danny is a Holland and Ajax legend
Blind comes from good footballing stock – his dad Danny, who was on Louis van Gaal’s coaching staff at the World Cup, played more than 300 games for Ajax and also picked up 42 caps for the Netherlands. Whilst his failure to play outside of Holland, having earlier turned out for Sparta Rotterdam, meant that he was not quite as well known abroad as other Dutch stars, Blind senior was a superb defender.
He’s as versatile as they come
Louis van Gaal’s 3-4-1-2 system relies upon the flexibility and versatility of his players – which is perhaps why Blind looked so comfortable playing it at the World Cup. Generally advertised as a left back, Blind is equally comfortable as a holding midfielder and can even play in central defence or at right back, as he did during an early loan spell with Groningen.
It was his pass that set up one of the goals of the World Cup
The lasting memory of the Netherlands’ World Cup campaign, in part down to the tepidness of their knock-out stage displays, was their first goal – Robin van Persie’s incredible diving header to equalise against Spain in the opening match. Whilst Blind’s teammates got all of the plaudits for his stunning feat of athleticism, however, it was Blind who provided the inch-perfect, clipped pass that van Persie guided past the goalkeeper.
He is a master of patience
It seems hard to believe now that he is reigning football of the year and has left to Manchester United for almost £14m, but Blind was once a target for the boo boys at the Amsterdam Arena. Upon his return from a loan spell at Groningen and making his first steps in the Ajax side, Blind was derided as not good enough and only there because of his father – claims that the 24 year-old has gone on to look rather silly with his fine displays since.
He proved them wrong by lifting the club’s player of the year award
Blind proved the boo boys wrong by earning their adulation – and, with it, the club’s player of the year award in 2012/13 as Ajax again lifted the Eredivisie title. Lifting a similar accolade at Old Trafford will now be the new dream for Blind.
He is used to winning
If Manchester United aren’t able to turn around their poor start and challenge for the Premier League title then it’ll be a culture shock for Blind, who is used to being involved in the shake-up for the league title every single year. He has now been involved in four consecutive Eredivisie title victories for Ajax, who have dominated Dutch football in recent years, winning those four consecutive national titles along with Blind.
He is the embodiment of the ‘Dutch model’
Dutch football is often lauded for its ability to produce fine young players – and Blind’s rise to prominence truly embodies the Dutch way of doing things. This involves talent being identified and playing together from an early age – as Blind has, having been with Ajax since he was eight years old and playing for the Netherlands’ youth teams since Under 15 level.