Good. He was wasting away here and is a decent player in his prime years. He should be playing football. Will no doubt be a great signing for Ajax.
Daley Blind to Ajax| Deal to be done at 16m euros plus 5m in bonuses
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Was one of our most reliable players under LvG and had a very good season with Mourinho in 16/17. Never understood why Mourinho basically stopped using him altogether the next year. Stubbornness and refusing to admit that a non physical player can play well in the premier league maybe. Not a fan of getting rid of technically quality and versatile squad players in favor of technically lacking but physically gifted ones, but there you go, thats the manager we have.
Wish him well though. Almost always showed up in the big games for us and was a big part of the few trophies we did manage to win. One of the few who was not a flop at all in this post Fergie era.
Wish him well though. Almost always showed up in the big games for us and was a big part of the few trophies we did manage to win. One of the few who was not a flop at all in this post Fergie era.
Not a bad deal for us, but I feel like in a very inflated market we could have got slightly more from some Italian or Spanish side. Those leagues might suit him. Very intelligent and versatile player. Just a shame about his lack of pace and strength.
BTW I am surprised at Ajax spending about £15m on a player. Expensive.
I feel sorry for him.
He's a player in the wrong era, he relies on his intelligence and ball playing in an era were athleticism is so important to the modern footballer and i'll always appreciate how he stepped into the breach when we needed him during the Europa League campaign. That said, this is a good deal for us and it was time he moved one on although I feel that he's better than the Dutch league.
All the best Daley!
He's a player in the wrong era, he relies on his intelligence and ball playing in an era were athleticism is so important to the modern footballer and i'll always appreciate how he stepped into the breach when we needed him during the Europa League campaign. That said, this is a good deal for us and it was time he moved one on although I feel that he's better than the Dutch league.
All the best Daley!
Blind, like wind. 
Sad to see him go, but it's reasonable to understand why.
Sad to see him go, but it's reasonable to understand why.
I'm having a wild guess here, but maybe Ajax had a sell on clause anyway so they'll get a slice of this fee back.
Fair price for once.
Good luck Daley Blind.
Good luck Daley Blind.
Fred isn't physically gifted though or Sanchez.
I'm surprised a Series A club hasn't gone for him. Will be brilliant again for Ajax but he would've been a super signing for an Italian side.
He'll be fantastic for Ajax. Will add experience to their usually very young team.
Also great deal for us.
Good luck Daley!
Also great deal for us.
Good luck Daley!
They just spent £10m on Tadic from Southampton too, times be a changing..
A bit sad to see him go but he's never going to be played much under Mourinho.
His one season as a CB was better than any of the seven years we've given to Jones.
His one season as a CB was better than any of the seven years we've given to Jones.
Tadic aswell. They are finally spending some of that cash they have on experienced players without obsessing too much about sell-on value
Well said.
I’m gonna miss him, but it was good business for United to get that fee for him, and I think he will be back to playing regularly and enjoying his football.
Fred is very mobile and quick and strong on his feet. Short but still physical. Sanchez has always been a physical player and very quick over the first few yards and very reliant on his physical attributed (why he struggled last season, as he looked exhausted pretty much).
Good player, he just doesn't suit us at the minute and we got a decent price for him. One of the few relative successes of the LVG era even though it didn't end great last season.
Barcelona could have done a lot worse than him. Think he's way better than Ajax.
We're in the era of 'ball playing' centerbacks and Blind would slot right in. The likes of Hummels, Laporte, Stones, Sule, Bonucci. Otamendi and Alderweireld don't rely a lot on their athleticism. Mourinho does have his types. Maybe if Blind was taller Mourinho would've trusted him more. Best of luck to him.
Strange we never really gave him a chance in CM
We did in his first season. He was alright. Too slow and weak to be effective against most teams.
What is this thread. There's a reason he's going to Ajax and it's because no one wanted him at a fair price so he decided to see out his career at his boyhood club.
No he's not an amazing ball playing centre back, no he's not a DM in any top league where he gets found out. He's a decent utility player at a top club because he has an adaptable skillset.
No he's not an amazing ball playing centre back, no he's not a DM in any top league where he gets found out. He's a decent utility player at a top club because he has an adaptable skillset.
I like Blind, but as a player he's not good enough in my opinion. I think he has 2 huge flaws - his defensive positioning and his lack of pace/acceleration. His defensive positioning directly lead to goals several times when he played center back for us, and he doesn't have the pace to make up for it. Always found it very odd, because one of his main strengths seems to be his footballing brains.
Wish him nothing but luck in Ajax. Think he'll do well there.
Wish him nothing but luck in Ajax. Think he'll do well there.
16-21m is a good price for us and I also think he will be a very good signing for Ajax. His experience will be a huge asset to their young team and he will be able to guide the youngsters coming into the team having done the same thing himself. I think this is a good transfer for both teams.
Nice deal for us. Got more chances than I had expected he would under Jose, but ultimately he just made too many mistakes for this level.
Exactly, even fecking Roma said they refused him. Nice lad, but just not good enough.
I don’t think I would label him as a player who made mistakes at all. He’s just not the right type of player for our current setup. He is more than capable at playing at a high level.
Wasn't that in a two though ?
Pretty good business for United.
He is a good servant for the club. He was a later day John O'Shea. Never going to be a regular first teamer, but willing and able to put in a shift when needed. We always need that sort of player. He is, as others have said, an intelligent footballer, and I can see him having a good career in coaching/management if he wants to go that route after his playing days end.
Meh the same pro mourinho fans saying he isn't good enough. Blind didn't get chances at at CB. He played 6 months at CB & then instantly got moved out to LB even though he was one of our best players during our trophy winning season.
If he continued to play apart from these 6 months where he himself said he found his best position - I'm sure he would be at a better club than Ajax.
Instead we have a LB with the occasional CB games that Blind has for the Netherlands. He is a good player @breakout67 - a player that does not suit Jose mourinho'inability to flex off a 4231. That's why it' s a dissatisfaction for a lot of fans to see him go.
This overtly defensive manager suddenly get caught out for not playing a ball playing defender - he doesn't even bother playing one that had good games for us doing just that. Blind is possibly not good enough against the very best teams playing in a 4231 because he gets caught out for pace but that's no different than Lukaku's difficulty playing as a target man against the very best teams when playing a 4231.
Blind has the capability to play for a lot of of our games as a ball playing CB - or even better in the middle of a back 3 where his so called utility ability can be shown through out a game rather than a sub. His passing is almost as good as a midfielders whilst playing at CB - also having the proper positioning & ability to the read the game much better than our reactive defenders that Jose loves.
The guy has the ability to bring the best out of the players around him. That's why he is loved by many on here. An underrated player shifted out by a manager that has a strict, unflexible first team.
Is this why he's ending up at Dutch league after getting refused by fecking Roma and not receiving any offers from any top league ?
He is getting refused by Roma due to the price we are asking - a price we are asking whilst he hardly played for us apart from his really good 6 months & stepping up when we needed him to win trophies. This was not someone who was given a chance - this was someone who was sidelined to LB after finding his position at CB. He ultimately is sold as a utility player because that is why Jose & his fan's regard him to be. He Is much better than that & had the ability to play a utility role within a formation - something way too complex for the defensive, non possession manager that is Jose.
I personally would not buy Blind the LB for any club of mine - but he is currently a LB because under Jose he had no chance of playing CB. That happened for 6 months with LVG & then when we needed him for the Europa league.
He'll join a bigger club in a few years. My bet is Barca.
I'll always feel we've ruined this game and that there was some some good player in him to develop.
So he hardly played for us but you reached the conclusion he's very good player and the missing piece to our defense to bring everyone into the game ? Is this the rule "not playing often makes you overrated as hell at the end" ?
I have said previously that the best he could get after he leaves United is a top 4 Serie A team, ends up not even being able to get that and ending at Dutch league, but people are still thinking he's good enough for us while no one else wants him.
Your 2 posts screams of defending Blind just for the sake of slaughtering Mourinho not for any reason, which is pretty funny considering you started your first post by saying "Mourinho fanboys". Says a lot about your logic.
You have Monchi quote in this thread. Why did you have to make thing up? Monchi talked about profile of player. If it's fee, then there may be way to work thing out. It's not like we ain't interested in any of their players.
Ajax is so rich that they decided to play club record fee for Blind knowing they're sole runner for his signature by your deduction of high fee & little gametime?
It's as good as it gets for making some drama out of nothing...
Far too handsome for Mourinho, so he had to go, simple as
Such a shame I always liked Blind.
I like him, he's a good player. Imo he could play at most top teams and not look out of place at all.
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