“A really funny guy”, “My partner at the back” – Daley Blind names 5 Manchester United players he was really close with
Former Manchester United defender Daley Blind recently named the five players with whom he shared a close bond with during his time at the club. Blind spent four years at United from 2014 to 2018, before returning to Ajax.
Recently, while speaking on Manchester United's official podcast, Blind named Chris Smalling, Jesse Lingard, Marcus Rashford, Timothy Fosu-Mensah, and Memphis Depay as the five players that were closest to him.
“I was really close with some players, like Chris Smalling was my partner at the back of course," he said. "Jesse Lingard was a really funny guy, Marcus Rashford had just come through the academy, of course, Fosu-Mensah was there, a Dutch guy, Memphis Depay was there for a little bit (too).”
Daley Blind further added that he shared a good relationship with every other player, while naming physiotherapist Andy Walling as someone he is still connected to.
“I think I was close, I was good with anyone in the dressing room, but not with someone particularly close with outside of the pitch," Blind stated. "I had Andy (Walling) the physiotherapist, the massage guy, I have still contact with him, he’s a really good guy.”
The Netherlands international went on to make 141 appearances for the club, scoring six and assisting 10 goals in the process. He also won the Europa League, the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup once each while representing the English giants.
Daley Blind compares his time playing centre-back in England to Lisandro Martinez's
Daley Blind played at multiple positions for Manchester United, taking up left-back, center-back and defensive midfield roles during his time at the club.
He recalled how English media doubted his potential to play as a central defender and a similar treatment was meted out to Lisandro Martinez. Blind told the club's official podcast:
“At the moment I started playing centre-back, I think there were some critical notes about my height or my, how do you say it… I don’t look like Vidic, for example. He looked like a warrior and he was a great defender.
“I think in England there is like this image of a centre-back and how it should be done, and how a player of the centre should be looked at in the way he is. But I think nowadays you can fill the centre in different ways.
“Like Martinez, he is a great centre-back. He is so aggressive, he’s really good with his feet, he’s really good at tackling, so you cannot write him off just because he’s maybe not the height you expect him to be. But I think he showed himself directly that he is capable of everything in the Premier League."
United signed Martinez in a deal worth £47 million plus potentially £8.5 million in add-ons from Ajax in the 2022 summer transfer window. The Argentina international impressed almost immediately and was a permanent feature in Erik ten Hag's starting XIs before an injury cut his season short.
He made 45 appearances for the club across competitions last season, scoring a goal as well.