Daley Blind Compares Jose Mourinho, Louis van Gaal Styles at Manchester United

Manchester United's Daley Blind has revealed that the main difference between current manager Jose Mourinho and his predecessor Louis van Gaal is that the Portuguese boss "is all about winning."

Blind has played a key role for Mourinho so far in 2016-17, operating as a centre-back and left-back as he has started nine of United's 12 Premier League games in the campaign.

He told Dutch outlet De Telegraaf that Van Gaal—who signed him for United from Ajax in 2014—and Mourinho operate in similar ways, but the current Red Devils boss is more direct, via Sky Sports' James Dale:

"

I am fortunate enough to have worked with a number of big coaches. I learn a lot from Mourinho on a daily basis and he is a good guy.

He is pretty similar to Van Gaal when it comes to their commitment to the team. They used to work together [at Barcelona] so I reckon that is no coincidence. Everybody likes it when your boss shows an interest in you. 

Mourinho earned himself the nickname 'The Special One' because of everything he has achieved. He is an excellent coach who has an eye for details. He is very strong tactically. 

But his philosophy is slightly different to that of Van Gaal. He is very direct, it is all about winning.

"

Mourinho has yet to work his magic at United after succeeding Van Gaal in the summer.

He is the third permanent manager United have had since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013—David Moyes was the legendary Scot's immediate successor.

The Red Devils sit sixth in the Premier League having picked up 19 points from their first 12 matches of 2016-17, a record similar to the early stages of Moyes and Van Gaal's tenures:

Season	Manager	Points	Position	Points Off Top
2016-17	Jose Mourinho	19	6th	9
2015-16	Louis van Gaal	24	4th	2
2014-15	Louis van Gaal	19	4th	13
2013-14	David Moyes	21	6th	7
2012-13	Sir Alex Ferguson	27	2nd	1

However, the Manchester Evening News' Rob Dawson points to Antonio Valencia's improvement as proof that Mourinho's United are progressing in a way that Van Gaal and Moyes' teams did not.

As well as Blind's observation, another major difference between Van Gaal and Mourinho is that the latter has proven pedigree in the Premier League, which is not something the Dutchman could boast when he was appointed in 2014.

Mourinho has won the English top flight three times as Chelsea manager.

Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images

He was sacked by the Blues just under a year ago after the west London outfit made a disastrous start to the defence of their 2014-15 title, but he has the experience of going the distance in the Premier League.

As a result, Mourinho is likely to be given more leeway at Old Trafford than Moyes or Van Gaal were, especially if signs of progress continue to be apparent.

Given the 53-year-old's famous obsession with winning at all costs, as confirmed by Blind, he will not accept anything less than improvement from his United team, as they sit nine points behind Premier League leaders Chelsea.