Man Utd won lottery replacing injured Pogba with magician Eriksen
FT Desk
- 6 Sept 2022 11:00 BST
- 3 min read
Manchester United’s new midfielder Christian Eriksen has been in top form for the club, proving that his signing was a smart decision by coach Erik ten Hag.
Eriksen only joined the club on a free transfer this summer after his six-month contract at Brentford expired at the end of last season.
Ten Hag wanted someone who could understand his style of football, and having been impressed by Eriksen when he was recovering from his cardiac arrest when at Ajax, he decided to sign him on.
So far, Eriksen has been involved in every Premier League game this season for Manchester United, playing at least 85 minutes in each match and doing well for the team.
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Eriksen makes Man Utd forget about Pogba
The signing and immediate impact has made Manchester United forget about Paul Pogba, who left the club at the end of last season and made a return to Juventus.
The midfielder’s time at the Bianconeri hasn’t got off to the best start, with the Frenchman injuring his meniscus, and he’s set to miss the next 40 to 60 days of action for the club.
Apart from inconsistency, injuries were another factor that hampered Pogba’s time at Manchester United, and that has been proven in the first few weeks of the new season.
Eriksen has come in under much less pressure – there’s no high status or reputation to back up, nor is there a world-record transfer fee to live up to, and he has thrived so far.
The system also works for him, and he is doing well under Ten Hag, forming a strong partnership with Scott McTominay, with Casemiro waiting in the wings.
Picking the perfect pass 👌
✨ @ChrisEriksen8#MUFC || #MUNARS— Manchester United (@ManUtd) September 5, 2022
So far, Eriksen has kept Fred out of the Manchester United team, with the Brazilian having had a positive campaign last time around under Ralf Rangnick and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Compared to Pogba, Eriksen has brought in a lot less baggage, and is performing in a central midfield role that is designed to get the best out of his abilities.
Pogba wasn’t untalented – there was just too much to him, and getting the best out of him proved to be complicated for three different managers.
It’s still early days for Ten Hag and Eriksen, but there seems to be a plan here that’s working out well so far, and Manchester United will be hoping it continues for a while.
