Christian Eriksen admits he is ‘dissatisfied’ with his lack of game time at Premier League giants Manchester United but can understand why he has fallen behind Kobbie Mainoo in Erik ten Hag’s pecking order.
On a day in which Ten Hag’s terrors defeated Klopp’s kids by the odd goal in seven – Amad Diallo converting a last-gasp Alejandro Garnacho assist in a game in which Kobbie Mainoo really announced himself as a genuine superstar-in-the-making – Manchester United’s great old Dane proved too that there is plenty of life left in his legs.
Christian Eriksen produced perhaps his finest display in United colours since late-2022, the veteran playmaker picking up his pitching wedge and knocking a series of Paul Scholes-esque passes around the pitch. It was his glorious chipped ball which created the chance Marcus Rashford squandered with the last kick of normal time.
Christian Eriksen ‘dissatisfied’ at Manchester United
The 32-year-old has played only three games in 2024, starting just one. By his own admission, Eriksen is not particularly pleased his new backseat role even if it is one he can understand, with a years his junior going from strength to strength under Ten Hag.
“I myself have stated earlier that I am not satisfied with not playing,” Eriksen begins, speaking to Danish publication Tipsbladet. “But it is not something I lose sleep over. The team is performing, and so I have to respect the role.
“For me, I have been working hard and focusing on being fit for every game, and I am. It is easier now to accept my role than it had been before.
“I have had a conversation with Erik. I am, of course, dissatisfied with the situation and I would like to play as much as possible. But I am available and must be available for the team, which I am and always will be.”
Eriksen could still have an important part to play before his likely departure in the coming months. The former Tottenham Hotspur, Ajax and Inter Milan ace remains one of the finest technicians in Ten Hag’s squad, and remains a very useful operator when United need to pick the locks of a deep-lying defence.
Eriksen is also accepting of his lack of game time, even if he is not particularly happy about it with his role in the Denmark squad coming into question ahead of this summer’s European Championships.
Eriksen could leave Old Trafford
“(Ten Hag) said it was the team he had chosen,” Eriksen adds. “Kobbie is doing well, and the rest of the midfield is also doing well. So there is a battle for places, which is to be expected when you play in a top club. There is great competition in the team.
“Of course, you can be worried in the long run, because I want to play as much as possible. Of course, you don’t want to sit on the bench all the time. But it’s not something that worries me right now.
“It’s often when you change teams and win, you don’t change the winning team. And I respect that.”