Christian Eriksen has had a transformative effect on Manchester United, says club great Paul Scholes.
Eriksen arrived on a free transfer ahead of the new campaign, having restarted his career with Brentford the last term following his cardiac arrest at Euro 2020.
He has started every game under Erik ten Hag.
The former Inter and Tottenham playmaker has emerged as the creative hub of Ten Hag’s rejuvenated squad at Old Trafford and delivered a superb display to topple league leaders Arsenal on Sunday.
An assist, a team-leading three key passes and 33 successful passes helped United seal a 3-1 victory.
His tally of key passes was more than the per 90 average of any United midfielder last term (Bruno Fernandes – 2.6).
Scholes believes the Denmark international has been crucial to United’s upturn in form.
He said how Eriksen lifts United’s attack:
“Forwards know when the ball’s coming.
“They know they’ve got a midfield player who thinks about them even before the ball arrives.
“They know he’s watching. He’s looking all the time.
“He’s constantly scanning the pitch and only thinking about going forward.
“I can’t tell you how important that is as a number 10 and wide player.
“If you don’t have that and you have the players that we’ve had playing in there who are constantly facing backwards and going backwards, their movement’s a waste of time, so whatever movement they do, it doesn’t matter.
“You see Bruno [Fernandes], who’s so clever to get in those spaces behind the midfield and front of the back four, but you need someone to find him.
“Christian Eriksen has certainly got that.
“For a number 10 to influence a football game, then they need a midfield player of that kind of quality.”
Per 90 minutes this season across his six Premier League appearances.
Eriksen averages 65 touches, 1.3 chances created and 6.6 recoveries, signifying his importance to Ten Hag’s midfield.
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