Daley Blind spoke to the NOS after winning the Europa League with Manchester United.
- By James Rowe
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The former Ajax star kept a clean sheet in the heart of the Manchester United defence as his side earned a 2-0 win over his former side to lift the Europa League trophy.
Afterwards, Blind said ”I am really happy to have won the Europa League. It was really special to play in the final against Ajax I got goose bumps when I walked out onto the pitch.
”I played during my time at Ajax with a lot of players who played tonight Lasse Schone amongst others. All the team was sportive in defeat and if the result was the other way around I would have done the same.
”Our tactics were decisive tonight. We knew were Ajax’s strong points were, in particular, applying pressure to opponents. Our midfield was strong with Fellaini and Pogba. We did not give many chances away tonight.
”This victory is very important. Lots of people will say because it give direct qualification for Champions League football next season. We wanted to win a European final. We also won three trophies this season and not every team can say that.
Blind reflected on the terrible events in Manchester over the past week and dedicated the win to the city, ”Of course, we think of the terrible events in Manchester. Without a doubt players in our squad have people they knew who were caught up in the tragedy so that was in our minds.
”We are happy with our victory to give something back to the city of Manchester. It is a city who always supports one another.”
Blind concluded by praising his coach, “Jose Mourinho is a tactical genius who has shown once again today what a good manager he is.”
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