Daley Blind has shared the same problem he faced as one Manchester United ace – who has one thing in common with club legend Nemanja Vidic.
Some would argue that United got rid of Daley Blind far too early. The Dutch centre-back left Old Trafford in 2018 to rejoin his former side Ajax and has since played for Bayern Munich and is now currently for Girona.
He had a lot more left to give, but was more importantly a fantastic asset to have at the club. A versatile individual, Blind was easily adaptable to many positions and would have definitely solved some problems United have had over the years.
Despite leaving, Blind still has fond memories of Manchester – which were all revealed in a recent interview.
Blind on his height in English football
In a recent interview with The Athletic, Blind sat down with Andy Mitten to talk about his time at United. In particular, they had s section speaking about how hard it was to adapt to English football.
Mitten asked Blind if his height (5’11) was a problem at the centre half – to which he replied.
“In England, you have an image of how each player should look and how the physical part of the player should be, but football these days is so much more than that,” Blind stated.
“The typical English way of football isn’t seen in the Premier League anymore. So many managers from abroad have brought their different types of football to the table. Matches are now very tactical and about being in the right position.”
Similar to Martinez
He then went on to explain how he shared the same problem as United’s new centre-back Lisandro Martinez.
“For example, with Lisandro Martinez, Blind said. “He has this intelligence but also an aggression — he’s strong”
“People like to talk about his height when something goes wrong but he is so good on and off the ball that his height is not an issue. Martinez is a great player. He’s clever enough to stand his ground in the Premier League and it was the same for me.
“I didn’t have the aggression of Martinez or (Nemanja) Vidic, and I didn’t have the height of Smalling when I played alongside him, but I was in the right position nine times out of 10.”
Blind is right
The £120,000 p/w star was judged from the off during his United career, but the Argentine soon silenced the doubters.
He, like Blind, has shown that technical ability far outways physical, and has abolished the pre-conceived stereotype that Premier League defenders have to be big and boisterous.
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