Soccer Football - Euro 2024 Qualifier - Group B - Netherlands v Greece - Philips Stadium, Eindhoven, Netherlands - September 7, 2023 Netherlands' Daley Blind applauds the fans after the match REUTERS/Piroschka Van De Wouw/File Photo
WOLFSBURG, Germany (Reuters) - Veteran Daley Blind is being asked to play a new role for the Netherlands at the European Championship, supporting and guiding younger players in the squad.
The 34-year-old has won 108 caps, captained the Dutch side previously and competed at two World Cups as well as Euro 2020, but at the tournament in Germany he has played only one minute as a late substitute against Romania in the round of 16.
"It’s different, yes," Blind told a press conference on Thursday. "And it also takes some getting used to, even a challenge.
"In this role you try to help the teammates, keeping them sharp and motivated. Some have it hard at times," he said.
"You want to play yourself, of course, but it is a choice the coach has made and I try to be a helping hand where necessary.
"I knew what my role would be after speaking to the coach before the tournament started. But the fact that this was going to be my role never meant for a moment that I didn't want to come to the tournament. It's a great honour to play for the Dutch team and certainly at a final tournament."
Blind, who played for Manchester United and last season helped surprise packages Girona to third place in LaLiga, can fill multiple roles for the team, playing on the left side of defence, or in the centre, or as a midfielder.
The Dutch take on Turkey in the quarter-finals on Saturday and Blind expects a testing evening in Berlin.
"Hopefully it will be a great match. Turkey bring a lot of emotion, passion and struggle, so we’ll have to be wary of that. It is a quarter-final at a major tournament and that is always a tough event," he said.
(Reporting by Mark Gleeson; Editing by Ed Osmond)
