SUMMARY
- Christian Eriksen has been below par for Manchester United in the 23/24 season.
- Erik ten Hag has found Kobbie Mainoo perfect for the club's midfield.
Christian Eriksen is one of the most elite midfielders of his generation. The Dane is known for his smart passing and amazing vision on the soccer pitch. The 32-year-old had shown brilliant courage to recover from a cardiac arrest and to become an important player for Manchester United. ‘The Red Devils’ were hoping for the Danish midfielder to be a leader within the squad and lead Erik ten Hag’s young players to glory.
Christian Eriksen is a RED! ✍️🔴#MUFC || @ChrisEriksen8
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) July 15, 2022
However, the exact opposite has happened. The 32-year-old has been hit with an injury crisis and, amidst a drop in form, has seen his place in the starting lineup disappear.
Erik ten Hag prefers Kobbie Mainoo over Christian Eriksen
The Danish player has himself made this shocking revelation. The player believes that his Manchester United career has not gone according to plan, which has made him unhappy. The former Tottenham Hotspur player has allegedly talked about the matter with Erik ten Hag, who has straight-up informed him that the competition in midfield is stacked.
Christian Eriksen has informed ten Hag that he is not happy with his playing time this season. But the Dutch tactician too looked helpless after watching the likes of Kobbie Mainoo perform well at a consistent level. Christian Eriksen said in an interview, “He (ten Hag) said Kobbie Mainoo is doing well, and the rest of the midfield is also performing well, so there’s competition”.
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And ten Hag might just be right. The Danish midfielder has been hindered by knee problems, which means that in the first 7 months of the 23/24 season, Christian Eriksen has played the full 90 minutes in only 5 games.
In his 22 overall appearances for the club, Eriksen has one goal and two assists to show. On the other hand, Kobbie Mainoo has established himself as a key squad member and has impressed with his maturity at such a young age. Clearly, there is a loss of respect on ten Hag’s part for Eriksen, who believes the Dane slows the tempo of his team’s playing style.
The former Inter Milan midfielder has found it difficult to oust the young 18-year-old from his place, and that has reduced his playing time. However, it seems Christian Eriksen’s problems are not limited to only England.
Ex-Real Madrid player believes Eriksen doesn’t deserve to play for Denmark
Thomas Gravensen is a former Danish player who has previously played for clubs like Everton and Real Madrid. The retired player looked enraged at the Danish FA after it was announced that Christian Eriksen was going to be a part of Denmark’s friendlies against Switzerland and the Faroe Islands. The player could not comprehend how the United player got the place instead of what he believes should be Nicolai Vallys’.
The 48-year-old launched an attack on the coach, Kasper Hjulmand, by saying (via Mirror), “It is completely scandalous that he has not selected Nicolai Vallys. It’s a scandal of great proportions that we have a national coach who looks so little towards Denmark when there’s a player running around with those qualities.”
Thomas then targeted Christian Eriksen: “Christian Eriksen sits on the bench and watches football. Christian Eriksen as we know him, he is no more. You must not fall back on the fact that you are only selected on merit. One must not single out Christian Eriksen only on his merits.”
The 12 Superliga managers have picked Nicolai Vallys as the best player of the 2023-24 season so far.
I personally had Daniel Wass above him but Vallys continues to prove that he’s one of the best players in the league.#sldk #Brøndby pic.twitter.com/WklEwbBlxh
— Danish Scout (@DanishScout_) November 30, 2023
The former Real Madrid player is making complete sense here. Nicolas Vallys has been tearing up the Danish League with Brondby in the 23/24 season. He has already accumulated 17 G/A in 22 games in the league and is helping his team chase Midtjylland to win their 12th Danish League title in club history.
The coach of the Denmark national soccer team needs to understand that the country cannot keep picking up Christian Eriksen due to his past records. The 32-year-old is well past his prime and cannot even find regular playing time at his club. In such circumstances, restricting young players from shining to pick a coach’s favorite player might prove disastrous.