It’s been widely reported for some time now that Christian Eriksen has grown disgruntled with his reduced role at Manchester United.
So much so that the experienced midfielder directly voiced his frustrations to Erik ten Hag in a recent conversation between the two. Eriksen spoke to Tipsbladet at the beginning of the international break, admitting: “I’ve had a talk with Erik about being unhappy with the situation and wanting to play as much as possible.
“He said Kobbie Mainoo is doing well, and the rest of the midfield is also performing well, so there is competition for places.
“Of course, you can be concerned in the long run because I want to play as much as possible. You don’t want to always sit on the bench.”
Indeed, Mainoo’s scintillating counterpart will have seen his senior counterparts’ confidence take a hit. For them to rank behind the 18-year-old each week in contention for a starting 11 role is just a testament to how highly he’s rated by Ten Hag.
Such sentiment is evidently shared by Gareth Southgate, who opted to promote Mainoo from England’s Under 21s to the senior squad last week for the first time. He was subsequently awarded his Three Lions debut on Saturday against five-time world champions Brazil at Wembley.
Eriksen, 32, has made just 11 starts in total this term across all competitions – nine in the Premier League and two in the Champions League. A further 10 appearances have come off the bench.
In comparison, the Dane’s maiden campaign at Old Trafford saw him make 37 starts as well as seven outings as a substitute, despite being sidelined for an extended period with a knee injury from February to April.
Eriksen heading towards Old Trafford exit
All signs now point towards Eriksen’s United tenure being cut short this summer. Reporter Ben Jacobs explained to GiveMeSport that he expects further talks to be held between the player and Ten Hag in the coming weeks, writing: “Before we can understand what the situation is with Christian Eriksen, off the back of his interview, I think what will happen is something internal at Manchester United.
“I think Eriksen will talk face-to-face with Erik ten Hag, and they will be very upfront about things. After that meeting, I think that Eriksen will have a clear indication of his future.
“It will be the same for Sofyan Amrabat as well. I don’t think there will be a high volume of suitors within the Premier League for Eriksen.”
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