Starting to bed in.
Christian Eriksen may have proved to Erik ten Hag he was not the stop-gap No.6 midfielder he was looking for, but he showed he can still mix it with the top sides.
It has been a topsy-turvy start to life at Old Trafford for the Dane. Against Brighton, he was deployed as the false nine furthest up the field. Against Brighton, his drop was to sit in front of the United defence and take the ball out to initiate attacks. Neither role suited him, and Brentford hounded him throughout that 4-0 defeat.
Ten Hag has been looking to bring in Frenkie de Jong, all summer, but the opening league defeats prompted United to splash out an initial £60m for Casimero, and a huge weekly salary. The Brazilian has arrived from Real Madrid, and de Jong may follow, but Scott McTominay was brought back in for Monday night’s crucial encounter with Liverpool.
With the Scot screening a more encouraging central defensive pairing of Raphaël Varane and Lisandro Martinez, that freed up Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes to get on the ball more, and bring the fight to Liverpool.
While the likes of Tyrrell Malacia and Martinez were rightly praised, and goalscorers Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford got the post-win interviews on Sky, Christian Eriksen was one of the biggest positives for United. The 30-year-old was the best midfielder on show, at Old Trafford, as United won 2-1.
Christian Eriksen of Manchester United in action against Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)‘Playing to punish them’ – Christian Eriksen
Against Liverpool, Christian Eriksen was the man that made everything tick for United. He was a crucial out-ball for teammates in trouble and he had that quality Roy Keane admires most in players – the bravery to get on the ball and make things happen.
Back in 2016, as Ireland made it to the knock-out stages of the European Championships, Keane spoke about the quality he admires most in players. As Ireland’s assistant manager, at the time, he declared:
“Sometimes you get players who show for it but they’re not really showing for it. You want to see the whites of their eyes. You have to want the ball, that’s where courage comes into it.
“Courage is a big part of being a footballer. Courage doesn’t mean booting somebody. It’s wanting the ball when you don’t actually want the ball, if that makes sense. Bravery. Courage. We need to see that.”
Following United’s victory over Liverpool, Keane again beat that drum. Several players, he noted, had been courageous in demanding the ball in tough positions and making things happen.
Eriksen drew a fine finger-tip save from Alisson, early on, and linked up with Malacia for Sancho’s opener, but his willingness to demand the ball and get his team moving again was what stood out against Liverpool. It was not all perfect, but he was part of a midfield trio that dominate their Liverpool counterparts and set the platform for a much-needed win. His balls around, through and over the Liverpool defence caused the visitors problems all night.
Interestingly, most of the usual statistics will tell you that Eriksen was better against Brighton and Brentford [more touches, runs, presses and better pass completion] but he looked exactly like the midfielder United want against a strangely off-colour Liverpool.
Some fans likened Eriksen to Juan Mata when he was signed, over the summer, but that undersells what the Dane can deliver. He was one of Spurs’ best players for years, has been a talisman for Denmark ever since his international debut and won a Serie A title with Inter in 2021, before his Euro 2020 cardiac arrest threatened his life, and career.
In truth, United have snagged a very tidy player and a courageous one. A lad that will back himself to get his side out of a bind and make telling contributions.
“We were the better team in the first half,” Eriksen told MUTV after the Liverpool game. “I think on the ball, the team could have done better than we did today, but in general, the intensity, getting on the level and playing to punish them how they play [was great].
“I think [our togetherness] started after losing two times. This week has been about coming together and getting back to the basics. We didn’t do that against Brentford.”
