Blind On Van Nistelrooy

Daley Blind watched in admiration as a young boy as Ruud van Nistelrooy fired goal after goal for Manchester United, and the Dutch defender now has the pleasure of working with the Reds' legendary goalscorer at international level...

"Ruud was a killer striker in the box! Every chance was a goal. He was quick as a player and always had a feeling for a good position as a striker. If you knew you had him in your team, you were very happy because he scored in most games. That was his big quality – he could score goals and create chances for himself out of nothing.

"The amount of goals he scored in his career, particularly for United, makes him a legend. He was very important for the team and he helped United win some titles as well. You're always proud if a fellow countryman does something well at a big club like United. You look up to players like him.

"Scoring is the most important thing for a striker and that's why he will be remembered. One goal I always think of when people are talking about Ruud is the solo one from midfield [against Fulham in March 2003] that he scored. That was a fantastic goal.

"I first met Ruud when he became the assistant manager for the Dutch team and he's a really great person. Before that I only knew him from watching him in the past at the big clubs he played at, including, of course, United. I have some great images in my mind of him as a player and then I got to know him as a person. He's a great personality and I think I can learn a lot from him at international level. It's funny now when we do some finishing exercises with the national team because you still see that he gets the ball, takes a shot and it's in. It's very impressive."