New Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag is "one of the best managers" but he needs time and the full backing of the board at Old Trafford, according to Daley Blind.
Ten Hag built up a reputation among the best tacticians in Europe during his five-year stay at Ajax, which ended in Eredivisie title success earlier this month.
The Dutchman has passed up a summer holiday to arrive in Manchester early and start work, with Blind confident that he will be a success at his former club if they exercise patience.
What has Blind said about Ten Hag?
Blind, who played for United for four years before rejoining Ajax in 2018, has talked up Ten Hag's meticulous management style and strong character.
"Erik ten Hag is a great guy," the Netherlands international said while appearing on Andy van der Meyde's YouTube channel Bij Andy in de Auto.
"It’s not an easy job, of course, but he doesn’t run away from it either. He takes up the challenge.
"I am quite confident in him at Manchester United but he needs the board behind him. At Ajax he had [Edwin] Van der Sar and [Marc] Overmars behind him whatever happened, also in bad times.
"I hope he gets the time there, he is one of the best managers around.
"Ten Hag leaves nothing to chance. Sometimes we faced an opponent that we would automatically underestimate and we thought, ‘we don’t need a 45 minute meeting for this’.
"But he approaches every single game the same, tactical training sessions.. everything is detailed."
How big a task is Ten Hag facing at United?
Ten Hag will inherit a United squad that is set to post the club's worst-ever Premier League finish following their final game of 2021-22 against Crystal Palace.
Under the interim charge of Ralf Rangnick, the Red Devils have extended their recent trophy drought to five years while dropping out of the Champions League.
Ten Hag will be tasked with restoring past glories at Old Trafford, which may require him to ship out a number of first-team players while bringing in one or two new faces amid links to a whole host of big names.
Ajax duo Antony and Jurrien Timber are among those being linked with moves to United, and Ten Hag has not ruled out a potential raid on his former employers.
