Christian Eriksen | Signs for Manchester United

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Trex

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No. I’m Danish and have watched a lot of Eriksen games. They show all his games on TV here. Eriksen can only play in a 3 man midfield. He doesn’t offer much defensively. When he played for Ajax he played in a 3 man midfield alongside a CM and behind them a DM.

At Spurs he either played in a 3 man midfield, again a CM(like Dembele) and a DM behind them(like Wanyama and Dier) or he played on the right or left in a pseudo 3 man midfield. So you had Kane, Son and Dele Alli and behind them Eriksen, a CM and a DM. It was just slightly altered because Dele Alli played behind Kane. Eriksen would then drift in and change place with the CM or DM who would then cover the wing. So you would often see someone like Sissoko cover for Eriksen on the wing. It was all very fluid.

Later on he moved to Inter and played as LCM in contes 3-5-2 as a deep lying playmaker. Again with two other central midfielders alongside him

In Brentford it’s the same. A 3 man midfield with a CM and a DM, either in a 4-3-3 or a 3-5-2.

And lastly Denmark. It’s the same as Brentford. You have a CM(Højbjerg) and a DM(Delaney) next to Eriksen. Sometimes it’s other players, but it’s always a CM and a DM.

The only times Eriksen have played in a 2man midfield or as one player in a double pivot is when his teams are behind late and they have to get a goal. It was under Pochettino. He would then sub out the CM or DM for a striker or winger and move Eriksen into a 2 man midfield. But that was only late in games.

The only way i can see us lineup with Eriksen is if we play a 3 man midfield in a 4-3-3. Eriksen and McFred or hopefully Eriksen, De Jong and a new DM. That midfield would actually be the exact midfield Eriksen have always played in. The problem is that it would mean that Bruno Fernandes would have to play as one of the wingers. We can’t play with both unless that happens because Eriksen can no longer play on the wing and he offers close to nothing defensively. He runs a lot like other attacking midfielders and covers a lot of ground but he will not get stuck in. He rarely tackles, like i have legit never seen him do a sliding tackle. He even jokes a bit about it in a self deprecating kind of way because he is fully aware of it. It’s why he always plays alongside 2 other midfielders who can do the dirty work for him.

A funny thing is that an Eriksen, De Jong and a DM midfield would also be the exact midfield that Eriksen played with in Ajax. It was just another De Jong…
Yea I'm watched him in the EPL a lot too, so I understand his profile.
My guess would be either him or Bruno play out wide for example
An attacking midfield trio like:

Sancho Bruno Eriksen
With Eriksen drifting inward like Mata use to or Ziyech in ETH 18/19 set up.
 

Redderp

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I wonder if Ten Hag could have Eriksen with Bruno plus a more defensive/holding mid in a 3 man. For Sporting Bruno did a lot of work in midfield and had more long range efforts, he can play a deeper more pressing role.
No that wont work. Eriksen have always played with a CM and a DM alongside him to do the dirty work. Eriksen offers almost nothing defensively. Eriksen and Bruno can’t play together unless Bruno plays as a winger. Defensively Eriksen is weak like Mata, but a bit more willing to run. Eriksen might even be less willing to tackle than Mata. Eriksen will not tackle. Like in never.
 

hobbers

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I wonder if Ten Hag could have Eriksen with Bruno plus a more defensive/holding mid in a 3 man. For Sporting Bruno did a lot of work in midfield and had more long range efforts, he can play a deeper more pressing role.
No manager with any sense is playing Bruno in midfield.

He's fecking appalling in our half, a total disasterclass. Most times he gets the ball near the edge of our box he gives it away and directly sets up scoring chances.
 

Mike Smalling

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I think it's fair enough to argue that we shouldn't go for Eriksen because we should be going with younger players and build the squad for the long term. I don't necessarily agree with it, but I can understand that line of thinking. Similarly, I can understand if people think we should stay clear because of his shortcomings as a player - the main ones being a lack of pace and defensive ability.

What I can't understand is people arguing that he is past it, or that he can't press because of his heart failure last year. First of all, his kind of player could easily have 2-3 high quality years left, since he relies on his technique, intelligence and experience. He has already proven with Brentford and Denmark that he is still top class. As for the heart , that is a thing of the past for me. He won't be going on the pitch thinking that it could happen again if he presses too hard, and neither should anyone else. Doctors have cleared him to play, so he can play. Period.
 

Redderp

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Yea I'm watched him in the EPL a lot too, so I understand his profile.
My guess would be either him or Bruno play out wide for example
An attacking midfield trio like:

Sancho Bruno Eriksen
With Eriksen drifting inward like Mata use to or Ziyech in ETH 18/19 set up.
Eriksen can no longer play out wide. The last time he did it was a long time ago under Pochettino. He doesn’t have the pace anymore and he isn’t really someone who dribbles much or who can get past anyone out wide. Eriksen also plays a lot deeper these days, often receiving the ball from CBs or the GK.
 

Ted Lasso

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If we've made Eriksen an offer then he's going to choose us. That Brentford match was something special - home fans giving him a loud applause every single corner he stepped up to take. I don't know if that's been happening around the league, but certainly got me a bit emotional as a beyond football and human moment. That in the Theater of Dreams is definitely going to leave a positive impression.

Quite excited for this one if it happens.
 

RikRuud

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Top player, adds quality and depth and is free? It makes too much sense. He might have thought he'd never play again so getting the chance to finally play for us might be too good of an opportunity to turn down.
 

city-puma

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I'll like that midfield duo, I've seen Eriksen play that role at spurs, I think its good to find the right balance but I think a lot of fans tend to think too defensively.
As I feel on this forum, a lot think the only way is to have at least one physical beast if not two as destroyers in midfield.
 

ForeverRed1

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And I'm saying that with Ferguson it was very much match specific tactics and ways to exploit the opposition. Not skills, mentality, etc. His entire squad was with the right mentality.
which it will be with ETH. This is a manager who plays with a system and will want players that fit in his system.
 

sglowrider

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I think he still has lots to offer, but it begs to question where does this leave VDB?
With our limited budget, he would be an opportunistic steal.


You rotate with DVB.

Erikson can't expect to be playing every match at his age and heart condition. Bruno is best when he isn't overplayed.
 

Fluctuation0161

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Top player, adds quality and depth and is free? It makes too much sense. He might have thought he'd never play again so getting the chance to finally play for us might be too good of an opportunity to turn down.
Doesn't he play the same position as Bruno? They couldn't play together?
 

The Red Thinker

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Doesn't he play the same position as Bruno? They couldn't play together?
I see this as fantastic depth. This is the kind if ball-playing depth you need in a ball-dominant playing style. Currently, we have no top quality possession based ball-dominant midfielders. Bruno is more of a splicer of defences and advancer of the transition. Eriksen can play deeper and played deeper for Brentford. So when Frenkie goes down with injury ( if we get him), Eriksen is the perfect foil. VDB doesn’t have the same passing range as Eriksen and FDJ.
 

NoPace

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I think he still has lots to offer, but it begs to question where does this leave VDB?
For all we know it might be Bruno in the front 3 (with the other winger on the opposite touchline to make room) and VDB and Eriksen as #8s in front of a lone DM. And even if Bruno is central, 4 players for 2 spots is normal for big teams (including Fred) with I guess a new DM backed up by uh christ, McTominay.
 

Champ

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I believe they do, or at the very least have lackeys for that. They have done nothing but cut costs and take dividends out. At the very least, the clowns will be aware that there is a Bruno Fernandes who has done moderately well over the past few years, thus doesn’t need to be helped (in their view). After all, Joel Glazer is apparently knowledgeable enough to have a favourite player at the club in Martial!
Favourite enough to allow that player to leave on loan and be available for transfer!

I'm not going to get into a debate regarding the owners, that's for another thread, but all signs point towards Eriksen being brought in as well as Frenkie De Jong, which if the case shows that the owners aren't looking to cut costs.
Now, if we were to go for Eriksen instead of FDJ, that probably would signal otherwise.
But taking any of that out of the equation, a move for a player like Eriksen for free can only really be a good thing surely? And the kind of move the club has been chastised for not doing in the past.
 

Oldtraffordboy

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"alternative to de Jong"

I simply don't understand this.
What evidence is there that a 30 year old post cardiac arrest player who's played #10 his entire career is suddenly going to run, tackle and dictate from deep alongside our imaginary DM superstar.

Fair enough if we want competition for Bruno, but to call it an alternative to FDJ is ludicrous.
 
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Sandikan

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He's probably right though, but that's more of a reflection of how weak the other areas of our team are rather than a statement that the AM position is packed with quality
It's isn't stacked with quality though. It might be stacked with quantity, a different thing entirely.

DVB for instance hasn't shown he's any better as an am then dalot has as a right back.
Same with the younguns.
 

MUFC OK

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Mata > Eriksen
Pogba > FDJ
Matic > DM (no idea who but could have been bissouma)

would be good business for the midfield at least.
 

Red Rash

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To be fair he didn't need to. They are very different positions.
Yea and I think logically considering the number of outgoings it only makes sense that we need at least 2-3 players to cover the loss of Pogba, Matic and Mata.
 

Volksie316

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Mata > Eriksen
Pogba > FDJ
Matic > DM (no idea who but could have been bissouma)

would be good business for the midfield at least.
Well let's hope we get replacements, for Cavani and Lingard also.

With that being said, De Jong and Eriksen, likely won't even happen either.
 

Volksie316

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If Eriksen is signed together with De Jong, then that's great business.

If Eriksen is signed instead of De Jong, then it's a disaster.
 

SamoyedSam

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I don't see the point. Good player but not what United need. He was on the slide at Spurs. Had a decent spell at Brentford but it's another stop gap for United.
 

MyOnlySolskjaer

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Mata > Eriksen
Pogba > FDJ
Matic > DM (no idea who but could have been bissouma)

would be good business for the midfield at least.
Don’t think we should think like this. That would be replacing players in what already is an unbalanced squad to begin with. Mata played what felt like 5 games a season, Eriksen would not be replacing Mata. Frenkie is completely different to Pogba, Pogba is someone you crap yourself when he’s on the ball in a deep position being pressed, Frenkie is the opposite. What happens if the DM is injured?

Eriksen would be addressing a gap we have in the squad, we don’t have many creators bar Sancho and with a lot of forwards leaving like Greenwood, Lingard, Mata and Cavani to an extent there’s room for him.
 
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ManRed

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I don't see the point. Good player but not what United need. He was on the slide at Spurs. Had a decent spell at Brentford but it's another stop gap for United.
Yeah agreed, maybe he offers something other players in the squad really don't and on a free. We lost Mata, Lingard, Pogba and Matic. Cant expect Hannibal, Garner, +1 signing to replace them.
 

TheGame

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Good addition to the squad and a like for like replacement for Bruno which VDB wasn't. Also very versatile and a great set piece taker. People seem to forget we need a good squad to compete not just a first 11.
 

devilish

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I think Ornstein made a proper arse of himself. A football journalist should at least bother to check what positions a player play before suggesting that he would be an alternative
 
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