Daley Blind says last season’s Emirates FA Cup success gave him a “special feeling” as Manchester United prepare to start their title defence on Saturday.
The Dutch defender was part of the United side who lifted The Cup in dramatic style at Wembley last May, after coming from behind to beat Crystal Palace.
And as Jose Mourinho’s men await the visit of Reading, bossed by former Reds defender Jaap Stam, the former Ajax star says his FA Cup success is one of the best moments of his career to date.
"It’s a very special feeling to win The FA Cup," he told MUTV.
"It's a big prize in England and you come to a club like United to win prizes.
“It was my second season at the club and I was very happy to lift The FA Cup. It's one of the highlights of my career."
United approach the game in confident mood too, following seven successive wins over the last few weeks.
But Blind is more than aware of potential upsets in the competition and with the Royals also finding their form of late, won’t be under-estimating Stam’s side in front of the BT Sport cameras.
"When you’re in a phase of winning games as we are now, the positive feeling gets better and better," he added.
"I think we’re in great form now, and we have to keep that spirit going. It's a good feeling.
"It can be difficult against lower-league opposition. You cannot underestimate them as they always have players who can make a difference.
"But we are at home and clubs don’t like to come to Old Trafford. We have to keep it that way. We have to believe in ourselves and bring our best level to every game – that’s the only way you can win.
"Whether we're playing against a lower-league team or another team in the Premier League, we have to be confident and play our own game."
