EDITOR’S PICK
EKO HOT BLOG reports that former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has previously hailed the talents of attacking midfielder Christian Eriksen amid ongoing links connecting him with a move to Old Trafford.
According to various reports, United are interested in signing the Denmark international ahead of the summer transfer window opening later this month.
The former Tottenham Hotspur star joined Brentford on a short-term deal back in January after leaving Inter Milan in December by mutual consent.
Eriksen was forced to leave the Italian heavyweights after being fitted with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) device after suffering a cardiac arrest on international duty at last summer’s European Championship.
He collapsed during Denmark’s tournament opener against Finland and it was considered a miracle that he pulled through.
Italian rules meant that he could not continue to play for Inter with an ICD fitted.
Therefore, Brentford took a punt on the Dane and handed him a short-team deal, which will expire at the end of this month.
He racked up four assists and scored one goal between making his Bees debut in late-February and the end of the season.
His performances for Thomas Frank’s side did not go unnoticed, meaning several big-name Premier League clubs are interested in his services this summer, in the event of him not committing his future to Brentford.
United, alongside Tottenham, have been tipped as one of the favourites to sign him.
United are poised to prioritise strengthening their midfield options this summer and Eriksen has made it onto the radar, even though they are in the market for a defensive-minded midfielder above all else. However, the 30-year-old would add a wealth of quality and experience to Erik ten Hag’s squad.
And if United were to snap up the Brentford ace, it would possibly earn the seal of approval from former boss Ferguson.
That is because the Scot waxed lyrical about him back in 2012, following a Europa League clash between Ajax and United in Amsterdam. United won 2-0, but Eriksen made a telling impression on Ferguson.
“He’s a good player – a typical Ajax player who is good on the ball – but we already knew that,” Ferguson told TV3+, as quoted by ESPN, a decade ago.
“We have many young players at the club, but we are always looking for talent. It’s impossible to predict.”
At the time, Eriksen, who has made more than 230 career appearances in the Premier League, was being linked with United. Although he was not keen to discuss his future at the time, he was thrilled to have caught Ferguson’s attention.
Eriksen said: “It is great to hear and an honour to hear him saying positive things about me, especially as it’s not just come from any old manager. It’s something I have to get used to. I would say that he is one of the game’s greatest managers.
FURTHER READING
Eriksen left Ajax in August 2013, joining Spurs. He spent seven years in north London before sealing a move to Inter in January 2020.
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