Manchester United have confirmed the signing of Christian Eriksen, who was a free agent after his contract with Brentford expired last week. The 30-year-old has signed a contract until June 2025. The midfielder was expected to sign a two-year deal with the option of a third year.
Eriksen, 30, came through the academy of Ajax, having previously played for Middelfart Boldklub and Odense Boldklub prior to his arrival. He made the first team of the Amsterdam club in 2010 and before his departure to Tottenham Hotspur made 163 appearances, scoring 32 goals and 65 assists.
Spending seven seasons at Spurs, Eriksen made 305 appearances, scoring 69 goals and 90 assists before leaving for Inter Milan in 2019 where he made 60 appearances, scoring eight goals and three assists. At Brentford, he made 11 appearances, scoring one goal and five assists.
Eriksen has been capped 115 times by Denmark, scoring 38 goals and 26 assists and it was playing for his country in the summer of 2021 where he suffered a cardiac arrest, luckily making a full recovery. Speaking about his move to the official Manchester United website, Eriksen said:
“Manchester United is a special club, and I cannot wait to get started. I have had the privilege of playing at Old Trafford many times but to do it in the red shirt of United will be an amazing feeling.
“I have seen Erik’s work at Ajax and know the level of detail and preparation that he and his staff put into every day. It is clear that he is a fantastic coach.
“Having spoken with him and learned more about his vision and the way he wants the team to play, I am even more excited for the future. I still have major ambitions in the game, there is a huge amount that I know I can achieve, and this is the perfect place to continue my journey.”
Eriksen was fitted with a implantable cardioverter-defibrillator device which would restart his heart if something similar happened again, which eventually led to him being released by Inter and him taking a short break before signing for Brentford – making his Premier League return.
United’s football director John Murtough also spoke about Eriksen signing for the Old Trafford club saying that he’s one of the best attacking midfielders in Europe and that he will add valuable experience to the current squad after Juan Mata and Nemanja Matic left the club. He said:
“Christian has been one of the best attacking midfielders in Europe throughout his career. It is no surprise that he had so many options this summer, so we are really happy that he was convinced that this is the right club for him.
“In addition to his outstanding technique, Christian will add valuable experience and leadership skills to the squad, and we are looking forward to seeing the benefits of these qualities on the pitch this coming season and beyond.”
It is expected that Eriksen will compete with Bruno Fernandes and Donny van de Beek in the advanced areas of the midfield for a place this season, unless Erik ten Hag is going to change the formation to a 4-3-3, which could utilise a box to box midfielder to two attacking midfielders.
Written by John Walker
