Manchester United's encounter with Brentford at the latter end of last season will likely be remembered more so as one of the few positive results at the tail-end of the campaign under Ralf Rangnick. But for many of those in attendance at Old Trafford, something that may live longer in the memory is the ovation that Christian Eriksen received each and every time he ventured to a corner of the stadium to take a corner kick.
Just over two months later, we are discussing the fact that Eriksen will be stepping out at Old Trafford as a United player this coming season having signed a three-year deal with the club.
There is no need to dwell on the horrific events in Denmark’s opening game of Euro 2020 last June that ultimately led to his return to Engish football other than to mention that it was a blessing to see Eriksen grace a football pitch again after signing for Brentford on a six-month deal in January.
It is fair to say that nobody quite knew what to expect from him when he made his debut in February after the traumas of the summer prior. But he exceeded every expectation.
Only Kevin de Bruyne and Martin Odegaard created more chances in the Premier League beyond Eriksen's first outing for Brentford, with the Dane racking up an average of three chances created per 90 minutes during his short yet successful spell in West London. Also through his league-high numbers for chance creation from set-pieces after making his maiden appearance for Brentford, Eriksen massively aided a side struggling for goals, especially against deep blocks.
Although the sample of games isn't the most sizeable given his late-season return to action, Eriksen ranked in the top one per cent per 90 minutes for shot creating actions, goal creating actions and chances created, plus assists and expected assists, amongst midfielders in major European competition throughout the 2021/22 campaign.
Brentford ended up winning seven of the 10 matches that Eriksen started, helping to drag them away from the very genuine prospect of a relegation fight. He directly contributed to five goals through four assists and a solitary goal, though the addition of an average of five shots per match - of which statistics suggest two were taken by Eriksen - to Brentford's ranks is even more indicative of his influence.
He was inside the top three per cent of the midfielders in major European competition for the amount of shots he took per game, with his accuracy shown by his rank inside the top two per cent for shots on target.
His influence on all of these fronts shouldn't really come remotely as a surprise. In his days as a Tottenham Hotspur player, in addition to scoring 69 goals, Eriksen provided 90 assists in all competitions across 305 appearances. He became the only player not named David Beckham to register in excess of 10 assists in four consecutive seasons. And since the first season of his six-and-a-half year stint at Spurs in 2013/14, only De Bruyne has assisted more goals and created more chances in the Premier League.
But where does he fit at United?
It is an important question when you factor in the depth that United have when it comes to players similar or that favour similar roles to Eriksen, namely Bruno Fernandes and Donny van de Beek.
Given the majority of his career games, 252 according to transfermarkt, have been played in an attacking midfield position, the 'number 10' role would be the obvious fit for Eriksen. But it is actually far from obvious. Fernandes has established himself as a mainstay in that position at United since arriving at the club in January 2020, thus one or other of them would have to be shoehorned into a slightly alternate role if they were to line up together.
That isn't to say such shoehorning isn't possible given the adaptability of the pair. It is possible that Fernandes could be shifted to a wider role, or even deployed in a Dusan Tadic-esque false-nine, centre-forward position. Eriksen, meanwhile, is better suited to operating in areas outside of the box, often scoring from range and arriving late towards the penalty area; and whilst an auxiliary striker role isn't something familiar to Eriksen, there is scope for him to play as a wide midfielder despite an absence of much pace.
Eriksen has played a total of 133 career matches in wide midfield areas, of which 78 were on the left and 55 on the right, transfermarkt records show. For Spurs, given that Dele Alli often played as an attacking midfielder, Eriksen frequently operated on the flanks, though it must be said that he is by no means a winger. He is more so adept at creating opportunities and providing his usual threat from a slightly different area, whilst being able to maximise his crossing expertise; after making his Brentford debut, no player completed more crosses than Eriksen in the Premier League even though he operated in a central midfield role.
And a centre-midfield role, where he has played almost 100 career games, is definitely an option for Eriksen at United, especially given the freedom offered to midfielders by Erik ten Hag in his sides. Ten Hag's fluid 4-3-3 system could suit Eriksen, especially if United sign a recognised defensive midfielder.
Interestingly, Eriksen himself operated in some deeper areas for Brentford. Whilst outings as a defined 'defensive midfielder' (too loose a term for a player with Eriksen's skillset) are more rare, he is a figure that likes to orchestrate possession from deeper positions. Alongside Christian Norgaard and Vitaly Janelt for Brentford in a three-man midfield for Brentford, he was afforded the freedom to drop into deep areas. That often-deeper positioning represents areas that he prefers to playmake from within due to the presence of more space.
The volume of Eriksen's involvement for Brentford as a playmaker is demonstrated by his status as the player with the most touches per 90 minutes at the club last term, with that playmaking mould of midfielder something that Ten Hag very much favours in his midfield set-ups. Thus, whilst maybe not his number one position, using Eriksen in this form of free, almost box-to-box midfield role could be viable due to the extent that Ten Hag admires midfielders so adept in possession (plus it would suit Eriksen's all-round capabilities).
Eriksen offers the progressive passing nous that United have often lacked, ranking inside the top three per cent for progressive passing distance and the top seven per cent for total progressive passes per match amongst midfielders in major European competition last season. This strength in progression is further evidenced by a high volume of through balls and passes into the final third and the penalty area; he ranked inside the top three per cent of the aforementioned bracket for passes into the final third, playing the most passes into the box in the Premier League following his Brentford debut.
Further reinforcing the merit the playing him in a deeper role, he ranks inside the top one per cent for both switches and long passes attempted per game amongst midfielders in major European competition, also ranking inside the top two per cent for long passes completed per 90 minutes.
He remains a player with an impeccable, quick decision making ability that makes football look simple. And whilst his fitness hasn't explicitly reared its head as an issue, Eriksen has even further refined his game since the events of last summer in order to exert himself less from a physical standpoint. He wasn't an active presser for Brentford as Ten Hag judges ideal, but he does remain incredibly proactive and hard working through various other means. Mainly, he ensures he always maintains a high tempo in possession.
He has never really been a defined defensive body anyway - one downside to him operating in a deeper midfield role. Although he ranked well for ball recoveries last season, and was also within the top one per cent of midfielders in major European competition for dribblers tackled and for the few times he was dribbled past, he is hardly combative in terms of overall tackling figures.
It is likely that Eriksen may ultimately be used as a rotation option. But even then, in a season more compact (in terms of fixtures) than ever due to the mid-season World Cup, the role he may play will still be of a substantial magnitude. Plus with the five substitutes rule coming into force, having an abundance of squad depth is more important than ever. And, as has been uncovered here, Eriksen is more versatile than many may perceive, thus he is able to offer positional flexibility that Ten Hag values so strongly in his teams.
There should be no fears that he will produce the goods given that he was the same remarkable player at Brentford that made his Ajax debut at 17 years-old in 2010, went on to become one of the Premier League's best players at Spurs, and spent a season-and-a-half with Inter Milan, which saw him win the Serie A title, before rules regarding wearing an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator curtailed his career in Italy.
It is needless to say that his international stardom is so great that he has won 115 caps for Denmark.
Clearly, he has been sold a vision by Ten Hag that has seen him agree to join United. He would have been guaranteed weekly minutes at Brentford, where he already holds hero status. So there should be no doubt that his involvement at United will be regular.
After all, it was Ten Hag who gave Eriksen the chance to return to football by allowing him to train with Ajax, almost making this a repaying of a very large favour. And for free, a move from United to acquire Eriksen's services is a clever, opportune and on the whole sensational piece of business.
* Credit for stats: Squawka, Statman Dave, transfermarkt, StatsBomb via FBRef
** Major European competition = Europe's top five leagues & major tournaments
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