Manchester United kept on buying players till the last minute of transfer deadline day. It has been a really busy period for Louis van Gaal as he looks to restructure the squad inherited from David Moyes. After a dismal start to Premier League campaign, Pressure was mounted on the United Manager to sign important players. After signing Luke Shaw, Ander Herrera, Angel di Maria and Radamel Falcao, next player to discuss about is Daley Blind.
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Blind is brought to Old Trafford for a fee of £14million. And for a player of immense qualities, this price tag looks a bargain. The Dutch defender/midfielder played under Gaal’s Management during the World Cup as well. It was a really successful campaign for Blind who impressed everyone with his performances.
The 24-year-old defender was employed at different positions and he played really well. He played as a left back, centee back and sometimes at the center of midfield as well. With three assists, no defender recorded more assists than Daley Blind at Brazil. The Ajax Man even found the net against Brazil.
Dutch Player of the Year:
His performances in the World Cup were not surprising for those who follows Dutch League closely. Blind won the Player of the Year Award of 2013-14 season. Winning such a trophy for a defender makes it much more special. This Glamorous trophy was won by Dennis Bergkamp, Luis Suarez and Ruud van Nistelrooy in the past and all these players turned up as Premier League Greats. The Dutch left-back also won Ajax Player of the Year Award in 2012-13 Season. Ajax won league title last season and blind was without a doubt the heartbeat of Ajax defence. The Dutch side conceded just 28 goals last season. While Blind’s new team, Manchester United conceded 42 goals in 2013-14 season. Ajax Manager, De Boer employed him at different positions. And the Dutch left-back didn’t let his manager down once. He not only gives strength to his back four but also contributes a lot in building possession. His tackles success rate was 83%. After winning 57.7% duels, he also won 66% aerial duels last season. He rarely lost possession and his such attributes makes him a very good player.
With Louis Van Gaal’s 3-5-2 formation, Daley Blind is just a right player to fit in this position. Such a playing style requires a defender who can contribute in both defence and attack. And blind is much familiar to Van Gaal’s playing style than any other player in the Manchester United team. So far Louis van Gaal has struggled to find a right defender for his playing style. Both Jonny Evans and Phil Jones have so far find it very difficult to merge in a new playing style. But Blind will come as a ready-made player for Van Gaal’s tactics.
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