The Man City ace knows from experience that, whenever one of Manchester United’s most experienced players takes to the pitch, rabbit-out-of-the-hat moments are always possible.
Take Sunday afternoon, for instance. Darting in behind after a quick throw-in caught the opposition out, running onto a brilliant backheel flick from his centre-forward, Manchester United‘s Christian Eriksen controlled the ball beautifully on his chest and fizzed a volley into the bottom corner.
It might not have been enough to secure an opening win for Denmark in their Euro 2024 group-stage clash with Slovenia. But it certainly will have had Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate sitting up and taking notice ahead of England’s matchday two match-up with the Scandinavian’s on Thursday night.
Kyle Walker played alongside Eriksen at Tottenham Hotspur, a reunion expected in Frankfurt this evening. And while the 32-year-old playmaker may not be quite the same creative force of his Spurs days, you won’t find the Man City right-back taking the threat Eriksen poses lightly.
Manchester United’s Christian Eriksen shines at Euro 2024
“I think that you have to give (Denmark) the level of respect that they deserve,” Walker tells The Independent. “Obviously, they’ve got a number of players in the Premier League.
“I played a number of years with Christian Eriksen at Tottenham. And, in some moments, he can produce magic on the drop of the hat.
“We go into the game fully focused and wanting the three points as we did the other night and hopefully we can play a little bit better in the second-half (vs Serbia) and hopefully the nerves have gone a little bit.”
Three years on from the cardiac arrest which had the whole of Europe praying for his good health, Eriksen returned to the tournament stage with a goal which epitomised his enduring class and quality.
There. is areason why Rasmus Hojlund – his United and Denmark team-mate – labels Eriksen ‘world-class’.
And Walker is delighted to see the former Ajax, Brentford and Inter Milan man playing at the very top level again, not long after his career – not to mention his life – was in serious danger.
“He’s fantastic. It is a testament to him,” adds Walker, who was part of the Man City side beaten by Eriken’s United in last month’s FA Cup final.
“Obviously, us both playing in Manchester for the different clubs, we do bump into each other from time to time and have a catch up.
“But for what he’s done and what he’s achieved after the sad incident that happened, it just shows what a character he is and what he possesses really.”
Denmark face England in Frankfurt
Eriksen’s future remains uncertain at club level this summer. But, mustering the most key passes at Euro 2024 so far with seven already, there will be a lot of teams on the continent feeling they can still make very good use of Eriksen’s vast experience and nous.
“The goal he scored for Denmark shows that his form for Manchester United was dragged down by those around him and by the state the club was in,” former Red Devils right-back Paul Parker argues, in conversation with Danish publication Tipsbladet.
“His first touch with the chest gave him the opportunity to finish immediately. It was like watching a centre-forward.
“If Ten Hag is allowed to move the team forward and bring in the players he wants, I think he will say goodbye to Christian Eriksen,” adds Parker, a two-time Premier League champion under Sir Alex Ferguson in the 1990s.
“He will not be able to offer Christian Eriksen the regular playing time that he needs. Eriksen would, of course, like to play as much as possible before his time as a player is over. He needs to play regularly and he is one of those players who needs to be looked after as he gets older.
“If United want to move forward, they shouldn’t say; ‘We need Christian Eriksen’.
“And that’s not to be disrespectful to him because he is, without a shadow, of a doubt a great player. It’s not a label I throw around.
“But he’s been an excellent player.”