Daley Blind returned to action on Sunday against Sparta Rotterdam, coming on as a substitute for the final few minutes of the game as Ajax held on to a narrow lead.

Blind rejoined Ajax on a free transfer during the summer transfer window following the expiry of his contract at Girona.

He started in Ajax's first four UEFA Conference League qualifying games, but was taken off at half-time in the away game against Shelbourne FC due to an injury.

That injury kept him out of action until Sunday's game against Sparta.

In Blind's absence, Youri Baas has started as the left-sided centre-back in the majority of games for Ajax this season, while Dies Janse has also started a few games in that position.

In Michel Sanchez's post-match press conference after Ajax's win against Sparta, the Spanish head coach spoke about Blind's importance to this Ajax squad.

"Daley is very important to us. I wanted to bring him onto the pitch to give the team confidence," Michel explained.

Michel also highlighted Blind's ability to help Ajax control games and said he would have liked to bring him on earlier against Sparta.

"An important aspect of Daley's role comes to the fore when the team loses control. He can use his experience and talent to help the team.

"In the second half, we lost control, and no one could change it. If Daley had been one hundred per cent today, he would have played much earlier."

In Baas, Janse and Blind, Ajax have three excellent options for the position of the left side of central defence.

Baas has been a key player for Michel this season, and while Janse has only started three games in the Eredivisie this season, he has made a very positive impression, and his recent contract suggestion suggests Jordi Cruijff sees him in the club's long-term plans. He is good on the ball, strong in duels and had a very good year on loan at FC Groningen last season.

Michel worked with Blind at Girona and seems to rate him very highly, but it will be difficult for Michel to give all three of them enough minutes, even with a busy schedule.

Baas started at left-back against Sparta, and that is perhaps a position he will play more minutes in this season. Jofre Torrents has played very little this season and had a poor game against Hajduk Split in his only start of the season. Owen Wijndal and Caio Henrique are both full-backs who like to get up the pitch into more advanced areas.

Baas therefore provides Michel with a different profile of left-back, compared to Henrique and Wijndal, as Baas can sit deeper and play a crucial role in build-up as he is very good at progressing the ball forward.

By using Baas as a left-back more often, it would give Michel the chance to give both Janse and Blind sufficient minutes in central defence.