Daley Blind’s return to Ajax means he is the latest Louis Van Gaal recruit to leave the club under the present regime of Jose Mourinho. Red Devil Armada’s Tchijioke Ben-Chima takes a look at why it didn’t work out for him at Old Trafford and what could have been.
One of the more enduring memories of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil was born during the match between Spain and The Netherlands, when a well-crafted pass, lofted forward with exquisite precision and panache that created the “Legend of the Flying Dutchman.”
While much of the acclaim went to Robin van Persie for the audacious lunge that resulted to a goal, recognition and applause for the vision and subtle finesse of the pass that provided the assist could only rightly belong to a maestro, a certain Daley Blind.
What began as whispers and later became a done deal that Ajax Amsterdam, his boyhood club had re-signed him, thus ending a topsy-turvy era of promise and frustrated ambitions. For a player whose stock in trade was the delicate blend of football artistry he peddled at green turfs around the world, the allure of his talents were unappreciated and were met only with a sneer and snub by a manager stubbornly devoted to brutish football.
That Daley Blind, brought in as part of a group of “multi-functionals” by Louis Van Gaal could not thrive after the departure of his benefactor, speaks much of what Manchester United has become. For a man who belongs to that rare breed of technically gifted football players who caress the round leather with their feet and who could enthrall by the sheer artistry, intelligence and intuition deployed on the playing field, his inability to establish himself in United’s first team evokes a curious mix of perplexity and regret.
In the first instance, it is not a little wonder that in the years he spent in the fast paced and muscular English Premier League, Blind could not augment his physical limitations. He more or less remained slight of build and his movements slug-like, a glaring liability in the fast-paced English game. For sure, he compensated with intelligent positioning and anticipation. Yet one wonders if it was physiologically impossible to improve both his physique and pace to adapt to the demands of the sport.
One is left to imagine what might have been had he played for a manager more inclined to the exhibition of flair and expression of talent. Perhaps another world star could have been birthed in the Theatre of Dreams. Regrettably, having been caught up in Ed Woodward and Mourinho’s vainglorious project of ego and avarice, Blind’s star was stultified and left to fade into anonymity.
Now, thankfully for him, but sadly for many, he’s going back to Amsterdam. Can Ajax bring the shine back to Mister Blind? Time, as they say, will tell.