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Manchester United's unsung hero Daley Blind is proving the critics wrong and defensive sidekick Chris Smalling believes the plaudits will pile up for the Dutch dynamo.

Blind had 25-goal coveted Everton striker Romelu Lukaku in his pocket on Sunday and his handling of the powerful Belgian was key to the Reds 1-0 success that keeps them in the hunt for a Champions League place.

The Everton appearance was Blind's 53rd match for club and country this season and he was many people's vote as man of the match.

In a campaign where United's casualty list has been debilitating, no player has been available more for manager Louis van Gaal than his summer 2014 £14m capture from Ajax who has been an ever present since October.

In pictures: United v Everton

But the versatile 26-year-old has had a battle on his hands to convince a lot of supporters and experts of his value to United.

Smalling, however, believes the fan club is growing for Old Trafford's very own Duracell bunny.

“Ever since Daley joined the club he has rarely been injured. He has been able to bang out the games and have a very high consistency,” said Smalling.

“By each performance he is putting any critics out there to bed. He has been one of the top centre backs this year.

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“I think he deserves more plaudits and I think he will get them if he carries on playing the way he is playing. Everyone is sitting up and taking note that Daley is one of the mainstays of this team and he is keeping us ticking.

“He is a joy to play alongside. It is a good partnership. We know we can rely on each other. When there is a situation you don't have to over cover because you don't trust your partner. We trust each other fully and we bring out the best in each other as the games have gone on and the more games we have played together.

“It is great knowing that obviously as he is naturally a midfielder he has that passing range and ability down to a tee and defensively he is very sound as well. He brings a lot to our defensive line in being able to play the ball out and cut through teams.”

The face off with Lukaku last Sunday, brought to the fore another of Blind's qualities that some of his Old Trafford team-mates didn't think he possessed when he arrived from the Eredivisie.

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“He has got a lot more to his game than any of us really thought,” added Smalling.

“In one on one duels for instance, as you saw against Everton, Lukaku didn't get any change from him. Daley is not the biggest or strongest but he is very clever and smart and big strikers or fast strikers don't get any change from him.

“When someone like Lukaku gets you in the position where he's holding you off it is key to try and nick it in front of him. He can pin you in the box but he didn't get anything out of Daley.”

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