Former Manchester United midfielder Daley Blind has revealed his admiration for Jose Mourinho after leaving the club to join Ajax this summer.
The 28-year-old was signed by Louis Van Gaal in 2014 from Ajax in Holland and went on to make over 110 appearances for the Red Devils. Under his fellow compatriots stewardship, Blind emerged as a reliable and technically proficient fixture in United’s side but ultimately fell down the pecking order at the club after Jose Mourinho arrived to take over as manager.
The Portuguese boss has only ever used the Dutch international sparingly and rather than keep him on as a squad player for the upcoming season, he decided to let him move back to Ajax to seek out regular playing time.
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According to The Daily Express, Blind isn’t bitter or angry after the decision and he looks back on his time working with Mourinho fondly. He said to reporters: “I learned a lot from him. He is a winner. And he can project that very well on a group.
“I had a very beautiful time, I had many nice moments there.
“I am very grateful to the fans. I worked very nicely with Mourinho”
Mourinho endured widespread criticism from the media and experts in the game throughout United’s pre-season preparations this summer, as per Sky Sports. He publicly criticised his players on a number of occasions and appeared miserable for months on end but Blind’s comments suggest that perhaps he is not as grumpy as he appears on the surface.
Manchester United take on Brighton away this weekend in their second game of the new Premier League season and will be looking to pick up another 3 points to add to those they won against Leicester City last Friday.