Daley Blind has expressed sympathy towards Louis van Gaal by claiming that the recently-sacked Manchester United manager "deserved more respect".
The Premier League giants announced the departure of Van Gaal on Monday evening.
The Dutchman's future at Old Trafford has been a talking point throughout the season, but speculation intensified just minutes after he guided the team to their first FA Cup win since 2004 on Saturday.
Former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, who was sacked by the Blues in December, is expected to be confirmed as Van Gaal's successor in the next 48 hours.
Blind has opted against speculating on Mourinho's rumoured arrival, and instead gave credit to Van Gaal, who signed his fellow Dutchman from Ajax in the summer of 2014.
"I always worked well with him and would have been keen that the co-operation lasted longer," BBC Sport quotes Blind as saying. "A manager who has achieved so much already deserved more respect.
"Even though there was so much being written about him losing his job over the last months, he always looked to protect and shelter us. It is not easy for a coach if you are repeatedly being fired in the newspapers.
"Still, we as a squad kept believing in the manager and showed that with our FA Cup win. That we did together for the supporters, the manager and for ourselves. It was in the end a good finish to the season."
United finished fifth in the Premier League this season.
Danielle Joynson
