Daley Blind has heaped praise on Manchester United great Ruud van Nistelrooy.

The current Red Devils star works with the strike legend in the Holland national team set up and continues to be impressed by the man who netted 95 times in just 150 Premier League appearances.

Blind told ManUtd.com of van Nistelrooy's brilliant scoring ability as a player and revealed how he is an influential factor in his own career despite the fact they operate in different positions.

"Ruud was a killer striker in the box! Every chance was a goal. He was quick as a player and always had a feeling for a good position as a striker," said Blind.

"If you knew you had him in your team, you were very happy because he scored in most games. That was his big quality – he could score goals and create chances for himself out of nothing.

"The amount of goals he scored in his career, particularly for United, makes him a legend. He was very important for the team and he helped United win some titles as well. You're always proud if a fellow countryman does something well at a big club like United. You look up to players like him."

Blind added: "I first met Ruud when he became the assistant manager for the Dutch team and he's a really great person. Before that I only knew him from watching him in the past at the big clubs he played at, including, of course, United.

"I have some great images in my mind of him as a player and then I got to know him as a person. He's a great personality and I think I can learn a lot from him at international level. It's funny now when we do some finishing exercises with the national team because you still see that he gets the ball, takes a shot and it's in. It's very impressive."