Manchester United's push for the top four came to an inevitable end at White Hart Lane, as José Mourinho's men fell to a 2-1 victory against Tottenham Hotspur.
Daley Blind was one of the players who started against Spurs on the day and Mourinho revealed after the game that Blind will be rested for the next fixture in the league against Claude Puel's Southampton.
Blind has stepped up in Rojo's absence
Since Marcos Rojo suffered a knee injury in the UEFA Europa League against RSC Anderlecht, Blind has stepped in to help United's defence that has been weakened by injuries and suspensions of late.
Blind has so far started six of the previous seven games in all competitions for the Red Devils. Mourinho has deployed the Dutchman at both left-back and centre-back in that period.
Speaking after the game against Spurs, Mourinho said that the most "important thing" for the team was that there were no injuries after the game at White Hart Lane, with focus already switched to the upcoming Europa League final against Ajax at the end of May.
Mourinho wanted to rest key players
The Portuguese was also quick to point out that some of the more key players had to be rested and that it was important for them to "have some rest".
Injuries to Luke Shaw, Ashley Young and the inconsistent form of Matteo Darmian meant that Blind was the one favoured by Mourinho to start against Spurs.
Speaking about Blind after the game, Mourinho said that the Dutchman "had to" play the full 90 minutes against Mauricio Pochettino's side.
He further added, saying "the next match is for Blind to rest and we have to go like this step-by-step, rest people."