Blind 'feeling well' and set for tests after collapsing in Ajax friendly

Ajax defender Daley Blind is "feeling well" and will undergo further tests following a health scare on Tuesday, his club have confirmed.

The former Manchester United defender is said to have collapsed before being substituted during a friendly match with Hertha Berlin.

Blind was fitted with a subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator, a device that monitors and regulates his heart rhythm, after being diagnosed with heart muscle inflammation following a Champions League game with Valencia last December.

Ajax coach Erik ten Haag confirmed that there was an alert sent by Blind's ICD as he fell to the pitch during the Hertha match.

"Daley Blind's ICD went off," Ten Haag said to  Ziggo Sport . "He got subbed off straight away and he is feeling OK now, he is feeling fine. We will do research about this now."

Having already spent two months out of the game following the initial heart diagnosis in December, Blind faces another spell on the sidelines while doctors ascertain what caused the collapse.

Ajax issued a statement via Twitter on Wednesday, saying: "Daley Blind was forced to leave the pitch during Ajax - Hertha BSC.

"The central defender is feeling well, given the circumstances, and was at Sportpark de Toekomst this morning. He will undergo further examinations and await the results of these tests before resuming training."

Born in Amsterdam, Blind joined Ajax's youth academy at the age of eight and worked his way up the ranks before making his debut in 2008. He spent six years at the club in a variety of midfield and defensive roles before earning a move to Manchester United in 2014.

Blind returned to Ajax in 2018 and was a part of their famous run to the Champions League semi-finals in 2019, where they fell short against Tottenham courtesy of Lucas Moura's dramatic winning goal.

The initial heart incident last year came as a shock with Blind's senior career featuring more than 350 matches across 12 years including 69 caps for the Netherlands. Across his career, he has won six Eredivisie titles with Ajax while also lifting the KNVB Cup on one occasion.

Blind failed to win the league while at United, but was a part of four trophy triumphs including the Europa League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup and Community Shield.

Ajax are currently preparing for the start of the 2020-21 Eredivisie season, after the previous campaign was abandoned with no winner due to coronavirus.