Thursday 2 July 2015 18:12, UK
Danny Blind has revealed he turned down a chance to work with Louis van Gaal at Manchester United last year.
The surprise statement came a day after Blind, father of United's defensive midfielder Daley, was confirmed as the new head coach of the Netherlands following the departure of Guus Hiddink.
Blind, who was Hiddink's assistant, has taken over from the 68-year-old who quit the national team less than a year after succeeding Van Gaal.
Blind, a former Sparta Rotterdam and Ajax defender, will begin his new role on August 1 but on his employment options at Old Trafford told Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad: "I had a fantastic offer from Manchester United.
"There were talks about United and Van Gaal a couple of times last year. But I rejected that. If you have ambition, what is more beautiful than becoming manager of your country?"
Van Gaal was named Manchester United manager, with Ryan Giggs as his assistant, in May last year, signing a three-year deal to succeed David Moyes.
The Netherlands are third in their Euro 2016 qualifying group after two defeats in their opening six games, behind Iceland and the Czech Republic.
Blind said: “Do I feel confident about qualifying? We know what we have to do: win four matches, starting with Iceland on 3 September.
"We can’t afford to lose any more games. But with our quality we are more than able to do it.”
Holland face a crucial match at home to Iceland on their return to action in September immediately followed by a difficult trip to face Turkey.
