Manchester United
Premier League • England
Man Utd star confirms summer exit wish amid big national team worry
Manchester United midfielder Christian Eriksen considered making a move away from Old Trafford this summer in order to fulfil his desire to play more minutes.
Eriksen is believed to have sounded out a move to Ajax but saw a potential switch fall through when the Dutch club were unable to clear space in their squad for the Dane.
Having made just one substitute appearance at Man Utd this season, Eriksen is dissatisfied with his role at the team.
“I want to play more! I want to play something more,” Eriksen told Tipsbladet while on national team duty.
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Eriksen feels confident that he is in good shape and ready to contribute although he has admitted that he has lacked match sharpness at times given his lack of game time.
“I just think that the last thing is missing. I think there were a couple of times where I could have done a little better in one way or another. But the body is fine, and there are no flaws.”
Eriksen might hope the fixture crunch after the international break will present him an opportunity to demonstrate his value to Man Utd but if its minutes he is after it would seem he would be better served looking elsewhere.
His contract with Man Utd is up at the end of the current campaign but the 32-year-old might not have the patience for another season on the fringes.
Is Christian Eriksen selling himself short with Man Utd stay?
Denmark legend Thomas Gravesen believes that Eriksen could be putting his place in the Danish squad at risk by choosing to fight for a place at Old Trafford.
“That is my big, big question mark. Again, he has gone through a transfer window where he had the opportunity to play football, but where he simply chose to say no,” Gravesen told ViaPlay.
Gravesen was critical of Eriksen for not showing the ambition to leave when the writing is on the wall.
“I get so upset because I have such high expectations of him,” he added.
“I don’t understand what is going on. It looks like he’s now been told he’s going to get fewer games this year.
“It is therefore a mystery to me that he keeps saying; ‘I feel good and it’s great to be here’. Well, don’t you want to play football?.
“Why do you get selected for the national team when you don’t play football? Now what is that? I can accept one time, but now he is going to sit a whole season without playing football. You cannot take out a player who does not play football.
“This is really a player that the Danish national team needs. A player that the Danish national team needs in top form, and now he sits with four minutes in his legs against Liverpool.”
Former Denmark defender Morten Bruun also chipped in claiming that Eriksen has fallen out of favour with Erik Ten Hag.
“I will keep an eye on Christian Eriksen,” Bruun explained.
“He needs to go somewhere where he can get some playing time.
“There is nothing whatsoever to suggest that Erik ten Hag trusts Eriksen. If Eriksen stays at United, I think he will get minimal playing time, and then it will be problematic.”
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