Blind Excited To Learn From van Gaal

Daley Blind is delighted to be working under Louis van Gaal at Manchester United and insists his former Netherlands manager will make him a better player this season.

The Dutchman made his Reds debut as a deep-lying midfielder during Sunday’s 4-0 win over QPR and can't wait to see what the future holds for him at Old Trafford, where he can absorb the knowledge and expertise of van Gaal.

“He is very honest to everybody, he knows what he wants and he knows his philosophy,” Blind explained, while speaking to ManUtd.com after the final whistle. “He can bring that to the players and he can make a team with everybody. That is a good start for us if you want to work for each other. I have really learned a lot from van Gaal and I like working under him.

“I haven’t worked that long with him. I only worked with him at the World Cup and in the qualification games. A lot of the time I worked with Frank de Boer at Ajax and I think Ajax made me more the player I am now. Of course, I was with van Gaal at the World Cup. He also helped me a lot and I have learned a lot from him. I hope to learn a lot from him in the next season as well.

“I think he can make me a better player in terms of positioning, where to stand and tactics in games because midfield is an important position to play. I hope I can get better at it every day.”

While pleased with his first performance for United, Blind is determined to improve his understanding of the holding midfielder role in a division that is much faster than he is used to.

“It was a bit different because the opponents were going back so I had a lot of space to control the ball and play it to the sides, mixing it from side to side. I had a lot of space and that was nice for me. We played our own game and we played well. When we lost the ball we went after it as a team. We won the ball back a lot, so we did a good job.

“Of course it was a higher tempo and I can feel that also in my legs, but I can play 90 minutes and it was okay. I have only played in the Dutch league and in international football, but I think the Premier League is a higher level and there is a higher speed in the game.”

Asked how the new signings are settling in, Blind spoke of a positive team spirit that has eased his introduction: “When I came here there was a really warm welcome and I felt directly good in the team. Also, Robin [van Persie] helped me a lot because I know him from the Dutch squad.

“But I have also been helped by the other guys who came in straight away. Everybody wants to fight for each other and I think we saw that in this game. Everyone wants to give the ball to each other and I like to play in this squad.”