Legendary former Netherlands and Ajax defender Danny Blind was high complimentary towards Inter defender Stefan de Vrij for his performance against Ukraine in the Netherlands’ opening win against Ukraine in the Euorpean Championships.
Blind, who managed the Dutch national side between 2015 and 2017, felt that the Inter center-back was one of the best players on the pitch as the Dutch beat Andriy Yarmolenko’s Ukraine team 3-2.
Blind praised de Vrij for his defensively solid efforts, as well as for the quality he gave to the team when on the ball.
According to Blind, the 29-year-old matured during his time in Serie A, and the Dutchman is a better defender for his experiences in Italy, which have culminated in his being a crucial player in last season’s scudetto triumph.
De Vrij joined Lazio from Feyenoord in 2014, before making the switch to Inter in 2018, and has won 46 caps for the Dutch national team in his international career.
About de Vrij’s performance yesterday, Blind stated that “I think de Vrij played excellently.”
“He defended well, and he also made some good openings. Now he is also an experienced player, he has been playing in the Italian league for many years and has greatly improved.”
Blind closed by saying that “[de Vrij] must now play the role of defensive leader now, especially with de Ligt out. And he did.”
