Daley Blind has been of paramount importance to the team

Manchester United’s Daley Blind has been of paramount importance to the team since joining them in a £ 16 million deal from the Dutch league last summer. The arrival of the Dutchman was largely overlooked due to the signing of Angel di Maria.

The Argentine was the star attraction of last summer, butBlind has slowly but surely shown the importance that he has in the team. Last season, he was played in a number of positions like left back and defensive midfield. This time around, his versatility should have been exploited to the core after Van Gaal has been using him in the central defensive position due to the absence of players like Marcos Rojo.

The Argentine is still trying to build his fitness after being given an extended break following the Copa America 2015. In his absence,Blind was used as the partner for Chris Smalling in the game against Tottenham on the opening day of the campaign. United were aware that this was going to be a tough encounter. After a shaky start, they came back into the match and scored through an own goal from Kyle Walker. From then on, it was completely United and they secured a narrow 1-0 victorywith Blind responsible for a number of blocks.

"I've said many times before that I just want to play. If you see what everyone can add to the team, then it's a real battle for places and everyone had to fight for a position.I got a chance on this occasion and I tried my best. Of course, people always say I don't have the height or the power but I think I'm clever enough and smart enough.If you see our opponent [Harry Kane], he's very good; he wins a lot of headers and duels in the striking position so it's not only about power and force. I think we did well at the back,” said Van Gaal.