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Manchester United defender Daley Blind has criticised the club's decision to sack Louis van Gaal.

Blind, bought by Van Gaal from Ajax for £13.8million in 2014, said he was shocked by United's decision to sack his fellow Dutchman.

Holland international Blind, the first United player to speak publicly about Van Gaal's sacking, said: "I've enjoyed working with the manager so much.

"I would have liked to have carried on for a long while.

"A manager at a big club in the Premier League will always be under pressure.

LIVE:Latest as Jose Mourinho's prepares to succeed Van Gaal

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"But in the case of Van Gaal he has not been treated fairly over the last six months.

"I think a manager with the status of Van Gaal, who has achieved so much in his career, deserved more respect.

"No matter what was said or written about him as a manager, he never stopped protecting us as players.

"He has defended us under any kind of circumstances, he was always taking the stick instead of us.

READ MORE:The details behind Louis van Gaal's sacking

(Image: PA)

"I think I can say that the whole squad is grateful for that, for what he has done in that respect for us as players.

"As players we kept believing in each other and we also kept believing in our manager, which was part of the reason we were able to win the FA Cup.

"We achieved this as a group, including the manager. In the end, this was a successful season in our eyes."