Daley Blind 'feels good' as Man Utd centre-half

Daley Blind says he feels comfortable at centre-half for Manchester United.

The midfielder has grown into the role over the course of the season.

"This position suits me because Louis van Gaal wants to play building from the back. In addition, I have become physically stronger.

"This combination feels good," says Blind.

Asked if his father, Danny Blind, should play him at the back for Holland, Daley adds: "You should ask him.

"I usually play there with my club, so probably I'll be eligible for the position of left central defender. The coach will determine it."

Daley Blind discusses his favourite position at Manchester United

The Man Utd utility player has settled into a centre-back role this season, but would be open to other positions.

Daley Blind is keen to carry on at centre-back for Manchester United.

The Dutchman arrived at Old Trafford in 2014 as a utility player that could feature at left-back and a defensive midfielder.

After failed summer pursuits of Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane and regular problems for Phil Jones, Louis van Gaal opted to put Blind in the centre of his defence alongside Chris Smalling for this season.

As one of the few players to have steered largely clear of injuries, Blind has made 45 appearances for the Reds.

It is a position he feels he has done well in and would like to stay in, though is open to moving around the team.

“I’m developing well, and in the big games I’ve played, I’ve been consistent, which I think is important,” Blind told NOS .

“I think I can still play at left-back and in midfield, but right now I feel good at centre-back. It’s wonderful to have the game in front of me, and be a part of building from the back with my forward passes to start attacks.”

Where Blind ends up in the United team may depend on who is in charge at United. Van Gaal has shown absolute faith in the 26-year-old, but if the coach is replaced the situation could change.

Jose Mourinho, the favourite to take over at Old Trafford, has been linked with a move for Real Madrid defender Varane, a player he enjoyed success with during their time at the Bernabeu.

BLIND EXPECTS CHELSEA RESURGENCE IN 2016

Chelsea might be languishing in the bottom half of the Barclays Premier League table but Daley Blind insists Manchester United would be “foolish” to underestimate the champions ahead of today’s tea-time kick-off at Old Trafford.

The Blues parted ways with the club’s most successful manager of all time, Jose Mourinho, earlier this month following a tumultuous and disappointing start to the season. Blind's former national-team coach Guus Hiddink is now in temporary charge at Chelsea and while retaining the title is seemingly out of reach, their mission is to rediscover the imperious form that helped them to win the league by eight points last term.

“It would be foolish to underestimate them," Blind told MUTV. "I think they have a lot of quality players and they are still the team that won the title last season so you cannot underestimate them. We have to be sharp because they have a lot of players who can make the difference.

“It’s still a big game, no matter where they are in the league. Of course there is more attention when both teams are at the top of the table but it’s still a big game. It is going to be a great occasion.”

As a four-time Eredivisie winner with former club Ajax, Blind understands how to successfully defend a league title and the versatile defender acknowledges Chelsea have struggled with that objective this season. However, he does expect a difficult match against the west London club this evening.

“At Ajax, in almost every year we were champions, we were second, third or fourth before Christmas and then we started to come back, winning every game and became champions,” he says. 

“I was champion of Holland four times in a row and teams really wanted to win against us. You can see it in the Premier League with Chelsea and a club like United is the same, everyone wants to beat us."

Wayne Rooney Is Not the Problem at Manchester United

Manchester United's winless run was stretched to 8 games on the bounce​, following a 0-0 stalemate against Chelsea. The United supporters have become restless in recent weeks, watching their club play in a laborious and uninspiring fashion. And in turn, blame has been dished out, perhaps unfairly, to a certain player in the squad. That player is Manchester United and England captain Wayne Rooney. 

Rooney's displays this season do warrant criticism. The Englishman tallied just a pair of goals in the Premier League with half of the season over. Apart from the recent Chelsea fixture, Rooney has looked sluggish, having no influence on proceedings. 

That said, the fans' singling out of the skipper as the primary reason for United's struggles is simply ill advised. In fact, there are multiple United players, in attack, midfield, and defense that have been in poor form this season. 

Daley Blind is yet to consistently convince in the heart of defense, Memphis Depay managed to perform just once in a Champions League match, and Bastian Schweinsteiger's play has been nothing short of pedestrian. In reality, the entire team collectively has been poor, not just one player. 

Many people called for Rooney to be excluded from the starting eleven, believing he was holding United back. But in the absence of the forward, the Red Devils' slumped to defeats against relegation threatened sides Bournemouth and Norwich. The unimaginative attack continued to falter as Anthony Martial and co. were reduced to half chances to score.

The evidence suggests Rooney's presence in the team makes little to no difference on United's overall play. Instead, the tactics placed on all of the players are having a negative effect on the entirety of the squad. 

In recent times, Old Trafford witnessed lethargic, ponderous build up play. By the time the ball reaches attacking areas, defenders are already well adjusted and able to deal with the danger easily. Louis van Gaal did finally alter his tactics against Chelsea. In turn, it was no coincidence that Rooney's performance drastically improved. 

The 30-year-old was full of energy, driving at defenders and spraying inch perfect passes. The improvement did not extend to just Rooney though. For once Manchester United were threatening on the ball, creating multiple chances in the first half. 

From all of this, it's important to realize that one player does not determine the success of any club. Criticism of Rooney is certainly justified, but pinning United's poor season on the number ten is not.

Line-ups announced: Daley Blind and Memphis dropped for Manchester United vs Everton

Wayne Rooney has escaped the axe for Manchester United's game against Everton despite playing terribly for the best part of three years. Rooney starts in the three behind Anthony Martial, playing as a left winger in place of Memphis.

Memphis was one of the worst performers against Arsenal in United's last match, a 3-0 defeat. The Dutch winger has suffered in recent weeks with poor decision making, and struggled with the pace and physicality of the new league. Rooney will offer nothing better, but he is captain and therefore has to be even worse than he is now to be dropped.

Daley Blind has also been dropped after a poor showing against Arsenal, but he also featured for the Netherlands on international duty, so may simply be rested. He has been tolerable in defence for much of the season, so could feature in the Champions League match against CSKA Moscow on Wednesday. Marcos Rojo and Phil Jones form the left hand side of United's defence.

Daley Blind issues Man Utd warning ahead of Crystal Palace trip

Daley Blind has warned his Manchester United team-mates that they will have to be at their best to beat Crystal Palace.

Daley Blind has warned Manchester United that they will have to be at their best if they want to beat Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Saturday afternoon.

The Red Devils head to London looking to bounce back from the disappointment of their League Cup exit at the hands of Middlesbrough in midweek.

Louis van Gaal’s men are aiming to return to winning ways in the top flight after their goalless draw with Manchester City last weekend.

And the Netherlands international has warned his team-mates that they cannot afford to underestimate Alan Pardew’s side ahead of Saturday’s game.

“Teams always want to bounce back after a defeat,” Blind told MUTV. “Cup games can be different but this a Premier League match and I’ve said many times that Premier League games are always tough. There are no easy games. This won’t be easy either so we have to be focused and concentrate.

“Crystal Palace are a very stable team with a lot of quality in their side. They have bought some good players so it’ll be a tough game again. We remember last season’s match which was a hard one as well.

“We try to prepare ourselves in the best way we can. Despite their last few results, you can still see they have some quality players who can change games. We have to make sure they don’t do that against us.”

United are currently fourth in the Premier League table and two points behind leaders Manchester City after 10 games.

Blind, who joined United from Ajax in 2014, has been a regular fixture in Van Gaal’s first team this season and has scored one goal in eight Premier League appearances for the Old Trafford outfit.

Daley Blind Must Leave Manchester United

Daley Blind is a really good football player. He certainly has the quality to play at any club in the world including Manchester United. Unfortunately for Blind, he is not going to thrive at United no matter how he plays. If he’s smart, he will get out-of-town the first chance he gets.

Many of you are no doubt wondering why Blind should leave Manchester United since he’s getting consistent games at the moment. It’s true, that he is getting to play almost every week, but he’s being played out of position. He has ten starts on the young season and shockingly, each of them has been at centre back. It’s understandable that manager Louis Van Gaal has chosen to deploy Blind in this manner given his lack of other options, but it’s not a long-term solution. It’s almost comical that it’s gone on this long.

Blind’s preferred and most effective position is, of course, as a defensive midfielder. He thrived in this role at Ajax and frequently features for the Netherlands in this spot. Playing in the double pivot suits Blind’s strengths perfectly. He is happy to put in a tackle and can hold up play beautifully. It’s not a stretch to say that he has world-class ability at that spot on the pitch.

At centre back, however, he is average at best. He lacks supreme size or athleticism which makes him rather non-descript playing in front of the keeper. His intellect allows him to position himself well enough to get by, but he easily gets lost when competing against top class centre forwards. He doesn’t have the size or pace to combat them. He’s performed admirably in this role for United, but it’s just not sustainable.

It’s impossible to think that United won’t be in the market for a centre back in January. They pursued Nicolas Otamendi before he ended up with Manchester City and I’d be shocked if they aren’t after two new centre backs when the January window opens. The powers that be at Manchester United realize that Blind isn’t worthy of every week starting status at centre back.

So the obvious solution would be to slide Blind up the pitch and play him in his natural defensive midfield spot. The fact is he’s crowded out there by superior talent. Bastian Schweinsteiger, Michael Carrick and Morgan Schneiderlin all have a chance to be picked ahead of Blind right now. Even if Blind manages to move ahead of Carrick in the pecking order, as he should, he’d still be third choice behind the German and French midfielders.

I might argue that he should start ahead of Schweinsteiger at this point in his career too, but I don’t see Van Gaal making that choice very often. Blind would at best be a rotation player for United under their current leadership. That simply isn’t good enough for a player of his talent.

This doesn’t even begin to address possible inclusions of Ander Hererra as a defensive midfielder or the inevitable move of Marouane Fellaini back to his more accustomed role. United’s midfield is just too crowded for Blind to flourish.

While Daley Blind might be satisfied being a squad player at Manchester United, he should strive for more. He’d be wise to agitate for a move to a club where he can be guaranteed a place in the midfield every week come January. Otherwise, he may find himself spending his prime years out of the spotlight his play deserves.