Jose Mourinho’s first season as Manchester United boss hasn’t been plain sailing. The Portuguese tactician started well with a Community Shield win and three Premier League victories on the spin, but a run of poor results through the Autumn months saw the Red Devils’ title hopes erode and has left them entrenched in sixth spot, despite their incredible December and January.

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Things are indeed looking up, but ‘Mou’ still has some selection headaches, with the left-back slot one he’s struggled to fill. The likes of Marcos Rojo, Luke Shaw and Matteo Darmian have all been given goes and most recently the responsibility has fallen on Dutchman Daley Blind, who has appeared to be out of favour at Old Trafford for much of the season so far.

Alas, the ex-Ajax man was at his classy best as Man United beat Saint-Etienne 3-0 in the first leg of their Europa League last 32 tie last night, hinting that he could be the answer in the position…

Blind turned in a sumptuous display against the Ligue 1 side, making 87% of his passes stick, while his five tackles won were the joint-most of any Man United player. As well as this, he laid on three key passes, showing that he is indeed a threat from deep.

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