25 October 2023 , 17:21
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Erik ten Hag reserved special praise for Christian Eriksen after the Manchester United midfielder made a significant impact in Tuesday night's 1-0 win over FC Copenhagen.
Eriksen, who started the match on the bench, was introduced at the break for Sofyan Amrabat in a bid to spark United into life. And the former Brentford and Tottenham man did just that before teeing up Harry Maguire for the game's only goal in the second-half.
After seeing his side finally get off the mark in the Champions League, Ten Hag was quick to emphasise the positive impact Eriksen had on the match. He said of the playmaker: “I think our build-up got fluid, more fluid, once he came in. But we made some adjustments in other positions, in other constructions and cooperations.
“But Christian definitely played a big part in that. His timings were good to get free and on the ball his decision-making was good and the best example was the assist for Harry Maguire's goal.”
The Dutchman's glowing endorsement could signal a return to the team for Eriksen, who has not started a match since the chastening 3-1 defeat against Brighton in the Premier League back in September.
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When he was asked why he had been left out the team for recent games by Ten Hag during the international break earlier this month, Eriksen gave a fairly frank response to Danish outlet Ekstrabladet. “I think you should ask the coach what he thinks,” he stated.
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Christian Eriksen was influential in Manchester United's win over FC Copenhagen after coming off the bench (Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)“We have been hit hard by injuries in defence. We have simply conceded too many goals. I was sick last week, but I’m doing fine. I don’t have any flaws. The body feels good and of course I want to play every game. But if you have seen the matches yourself, you may also see that [Ten Hag] plays with slightly different types than me.”
Although Eriksen hasn't started many matches of late, his impressive cameo in midweek is not the first occasion that he's positively impacted a match from the bench.
He made a similar impact against his former club, Brentford, in another must-win game just before the international break after replacing Casemiro. A last-gasp brace from Scott McTominay gave United a crucial win.
When he was asked about the changes, Ten Hag said: “I wanted more football; one who brings passing, distribution, link-up play. So I thought bring [on] Christian Eriksen for Case[miro].”