How and Why Man United signed Christian Eriksen
Manchester United have finally signed a midfield maestro…
And although it’s not the midfield signing that everyone was expecting, it represents an upgrade in the United engine room and, overall, serves as a big coup with Erik ten Hag’s playing philosophy in mind.
As such, with an agreement reached and a transfer expected to go through imminently; how and why did Manchester United sign Christian Eriksen?
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How Man Utd signed Eriksen
After a month of speculation surrounding the future of Christian Eriksen, a decision has finally been made by the 30-year-old.
Despite suffering a cardiac arrest at Euro 2020, Eriksen returned to action in February of this year, accepting a short-term deal with Brentford after his contract with Inter Milan was terminated by mutual consent, due to Serie A rules.
His return to football and the Premier League for that matter went swimmingly in what was a four month stint that saw him notch a solitary goal and four assists in 11 Premier League appearances for Brentford.
Which leads us nicely as to why Manchester United want the 30-year-old.
Why Man Utd signed Eriksen
There are multiple reasons as to why Christian Eriksen has attracted the attention of Manchester United.
Firstly, his ability as a creator in the centre of the pitch represents excellent value for a player who is available on a free transfer.
In just 11 Premier League appearances for Brentford, he ranked as the side’s fourth highest chance creator overall with 30 chances created. And he was the most efficient in the squad, clocking up around 2.9 chances created per 90. But it is worth noting that he had significantly less game time than his teammates.
His stats for Brentford this season would see him rank fourth in United’s squad for chances created overall, slotting in just behind Luke Shaw and just ahead of Fred. But it’s the same story when it comes to chances created per 90, with Eriksen surpassing Bruno Fernandes’ average of 2.6 chances created per 90, in a scenario that comes with the caveat that the Dane has played less games.
But whilst United are in need of another chance creator in the engine room, from Ten Hag’s perspective, they require more experience and further depth.
Manchester United’s average squad age last season was 27, but with the departures of Matic, Pogba, Lingard, Cavani, Mata and Grant, this average is set to lower somewhat significantly.
As such, it renders just Cristiano Ronaldo and Phil Jones as the only two outfield players in the squad over the age of 29.
And with the latter expected to play a bit-part role at the very most, having barely featured in recent years, it means that Ronaldo is the only senior outfield regular.
Considering the amount of talent that United have in their youth ranks, such as Alejandro Garnacho and Hannibal Mejbri, among others, an experienced, productive and low-profile asset who fits the system of a Ten Hag possession style is exactly the kind of signing that United need this summer.
Eriksen has been schooled at Ajax earlier in his career and fits a mass-possession playing style, offering his ability as a playmaker.
And when you also consider that he has been snapped up on a free transfer, the move makes even more sense from a Red Devils perspective.