Daley Blind Crucial to Manchester United Renaissance Under Louis Van Gaal
Daley Blind hasn't seen much of the spotlight during his short association with Manchester United.
United revealed they had agreed a deal with Ajax for Blind on the Saturday morning they were due to play Burnley, but talk quickly turned to Angel Di Maria's debut and a disappointing draw at Turf Moor.
Blind's transfer was finally completed on deadline day but was a footnote on a day that will be remembered for the unexpected arrival of Radamel Falcao. Blind and Falcao were officially unveiled on the same day, and the pair will be forever linked by the pictures of them holding up their respective shirts on the pitch.
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United's summer spending generated excitement among the fans. They will head to Old Trafford on Saturday for the game against West Ham to watch Di Maria and Falcao. The supporters will queue in the megastore underneath the East Stand to get sevens and nines printed on their shirts. There won't be too many asking for Blind's No. 17.
But there is a case to be made that the Dutchman is more central to United's hopes of success this season than Di Maria and Falcao. They are both wonderful players but have strengthened a forward line that already boasted Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie and Juan Mata.
Blind, on the other hand, has filled a vital need.
He's a versatile footballer. He's comfortable at left-back or at left wing-back. At a shade under 6 feet, he can fill in at centre-half, too.
He's also more than just a useful central midfielder, and it's there that he can fill a hole that has started to gape. Not since 2008, the year of their last Champions League success, have United had a midfield to rival the best in Europe.
Owen Hargreaves' debilitating knee injury didn't help, but Sir Alex Ferguson and the Glazers have been guilty of under-investment.
Ferguson was forced to bring Paul Scholes out of retirement in 2012. Paul Pogba was allowed to leave for Juventus, still a source of great upset among many United fans.
In the meantime, fans have had to watch midfield combinations like Rafael and Park Ji-Sung, Phil Jones and Ryan Giggs and, at the end of the game against Sunderland last month, Tom Cleverley and Adnan Januzaj.
It's debatable whether United would have won the title in 2013 if Michael Carrick hadn't been in such good form, regardless of Robin van Persie's goals.
Carrick has missed the start of this season as he recovers from ankle surgery, but Blind's performance on his debut against QPR, sat in front of the back four, gave fans hope United might not have such a soft centre anymore.
He's might be lacking a yard of pace, but his movement and positioning was clever, and he used the ball intelligently. Yet it was Di Maria who stole the headlines after a goal on his home debut, and Falcao arrived in the second half to plenty of fanfare.
Blind's contribution to United's first win of the season was far more understated, but still important.
Leicester exposed their vulnerability at the back. And with the transfer window shut until January, there's not much Van Gaal can do to improve his options. It makes Blind's role of protecting a flimsy back four even more important. It's a job he might have to do on his own until Carrick makes his long-awaited return.
Falcao and Di Maria have got the fans excited again. Players who are in the business of scoring goals can have that effect.
Blind has been given the task of keeping the opposition out. It's not as glamorous, but vital nonetheless.
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