Former Manchester United defender Daley Blind has praised one of his old Ajax teammates.

Blind, who played center half for United under Louis van Gaal, thinks Lisandro Martinez is a great defender for the club.

Martinez, who is building up his match fitness after recovering from a foot injury, was praised for his intelligence, aggression and strength.

“In England, you have an image of how each player should look and how the physical part of the player should be, but football these days is so much more than that," Blind said in an interview with The Athletic.

"The typical English way of football isn't seen in the Premier League anymore. So many managers from abroad have brought their different types of football to the table. Matches are now very tactical and about being in the right position.

“For example, with Lisandro Martinez, he has this intelligence but also an aggression - he's strong. People like to talk about his height when something goes wrong but he is so good on and off the ball that his height is not an issue.

"Martinez is a great player. He's clever enough to stand his ground in the Premier League and it was the same for me.

"I didn't have the aggression of Martinez or Vidic, and I didn't have the height of Smalling when I played alongside him, but I was in the right position nine times out of 10."