Erik ten Hag substituted the midfielder early in the game. While a Champions League berth would have been considered a minimum need at the beginning of the season, Manchester United would be satisfied with a Europa League berth at this point.
Although Erik ten Hag’s team was up against 20th place in the league, yesterday’s exciting 4-2 win against Sheffield United was a step in the right direction in terms of play style.
Even though the Red Devils had 25 shots and scored four goals, the manager will be most impressed with their defence, which held the other team to only 0.82 xG. This dominance continued from the opening whistle to the final whistle.
While the team as a whole played far better, one player had trouble making an effect.
The 23/24 season of Christian Eriksen’s
Joining Manchester United on a free transfer in the summer of 2022, Christian Eriksen quickly established himself as a crucial cog in the Dutch manager’s wheel, starting 25 league games and tying for the team lead in assists with eight.
But ever since Kobbie Mainoo came up through the ranks, Eriksen has seen far less playing time, and he has started only 10 games in the Premier League so far this season.
Even though the Dane missed 10 games in November and December with an injury, the midfielder still isn’t on the squad because of his poor defensive play and lack of speed (0.9 tackles per game).
Moreover, according to sources, Eriksen’s time with Manchester United will reportedly expire in the summer, and with his performance last night, he may never play for the club again.
Summary of Eriksen’s stats vs Sheffield United
The fact that Eriksen started yesterday’s match against Tottenham Hotspur—his first since January—suggests that he isn’t part of Ten Hag’s plans.
Ever since that 2-2 draw with Spurs, the ex-Lilywhite has failed to see action on the pitch eleven times in all competitions.
That being said, it should come as no surprise that Eriksen was incredibly out of practice and had trouble making an impression against the Blades.
Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News gave the 32-year-old a 5 out of 10 for his performance, indicating that he didn’t do anything when in control of the ball.
| Eriksen vs SUFC | |
|---|---|
| Stats | Eriksen |
| Minutes | 64 |
| Passes completed | 56 |
| Touches | 66 |
| Key passes | 1 |
| xA | 0.16 |
| Duels won | 1/3 |
| Tackles | 1 |
| Via Sofascore | |
According to the numbers, Eriksen was only a “passenger,” much as football designer Liam Canning had said he was.
With 66 touches and 56 passes throughout his 64 minutes on the pitch, the Danish international saw enough of the ball as United maintained control.
But with just one vital pass and 0.16 xA, he was very careful and maybe too cautious, so he wasn’t exactly trying to build or break the visitor’s backline.
As shown before, Eriksen’s lack of defensive ability is the major concern, not his technical brilliance.
As a middle-of-the-field liability, the number 14 lost two of his three duels and failed to make a tackle in the encounter against the Blades.
The hosts went on to win courtesy of a two-goal and one-assist performance by Bruno Fernandes, so it was worth it for Ten Hag to substitute Scott McTominay for Eriksen in an effort to boost the ante.
It seems unlikely that Eriksen will have much of an influence for the remainder of the season, especially with Mason Mount’s impending return from injury. Unfortunately, his performance against the Blades confirmed that we should let go of the wizard.
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