What Can Christian Eriksen Bring To Manchester United?

With Christian Eriksen on the transfer market as a free transfer, there is no wonder as to why some major football clubs are interesting in signing the creative playmaker this summer.

Brentford, who the Dane spent the last six months with and offered him a route back to football, remain intreested, as Thomas Frank mentioned earlier in the week that they have tabled an attractive proposal for consideration.

While Tottenham Hotspur say they are now distancing themselves from the transfer as of now and focussing on other priorities, it takes a drop of a hat to get back into the frame and pull on the return heartstrings to see why that move might be of great interest to Eriksen.

But perhaps most interested of all are Manchester United. New manager Erik Ten Hag is keen to unite with the former Ajax pupil at Old Trafford and is pulling out all the stops to try and get a deal done – without complication.

It has been clearly publicised how the Red Devils are going through another transitional period with so many experienced professionals leaving the club this summer.

Juan Mata, Paul Pogba, Edinson Cavani, Nemanja Matic and Jesse Lingard have all said their goodbyes are in the process of finding pastures new, which opens the door for a major incomings this summer.

Two top priority targets are FC Barcelona’s £75 million-rated midifelder Frenkie de Jong, as well as free agent Eriksen. Ten Hag is under the impression that both are absolutely essential to his new-look Manchester United side and will play a huge part in turning the ill-fortunes around at Old Trafford.

Especially with Lingard and Mata leaving, Man United are in dire need of competition for Bruno Fernandes, which Eriksen would of course provide. A lot will revolve around Ten Hag’s formation and the system he uses, but Eriksen could be used in a multitude of different positions in both advanced areas and in the midfield.

As seen for Brentford in the back end of the Premier League season, Eriksen showed on a regular basis what a threat he is in the final game. When the Bees visited Old Trafford in May, Eriksen stood out as a player that was able to run the game. While they went on to lose 3-0, the Denmark international showcased his ability on a regular occurence across the 90 minutes.

There is no guarantee that Eriksen decides to move up north to Manchester over staying in London with Brentford, but the Dane will know and appreciate that the interest coming from the North West of England has been brewing for many years.

In fact, Manchester United tried desperately to bring Eriksen to Old Trafford when it was clear that Spurs were willing to let the midfielder go, only for Daniel Levy to make negotiations difficult and only warrant a sale abroad, where he eventually ended up at Inter Milan.

With the focus shifting on younger players this summer and beyond, Ten Hag appreciates and acknowledges the need for leaders in the squad – especially with those who have departed. Bringing in a player of Eriksen’s ilk and mentality makes sense on and off the pitch, which is what the Dutch coach needs when entering his first season.

Time will tell whether Man United finally land a player they have been chasing for years, but fans can be rest assured that it will be a busy summer ahead.