Midfielder verbally agrees to join Manchester United – Why he’s a top acquisition

Christian Eriksen has reportedly reached a verbal agreement to join Manchester United this summer.

The Denmark international, 30, has been linked with several clubs this summer, including a return to Tottenham Hotspur, following the end of his six-month contract with Brentford on June 30. As a result, he became a free agent and has now decided to team up with Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford.

According to The Athletic, Christian Eriksen has communicated his desire to play for Manchester United and is prepared to accept their three-year contract proposal, with the process of drafting contracts now underway.

The 30-year-old creative midfielder returned to the Premier League in January following his collapse on the pitch at the European Championships 2020 after suffering a cardiac arrest. He joined Brentford for the second half of last season and featured 11 times in the Premier League, scoring once and assisting four times.

Christian Eriksen to Manchester United – A top acquisition by the club

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has prioritised addressing the midfield conundrum following the high-profile exits of Paul Pogba, Juan Mata, Nemanja Matic and Jesse Lingard after the expiry of their contracts at the end of last season. He has seemingly made Frenkie de Jong a summer transfer target, but Manchester United and Barcelona are yet to agree on a fee for the central midfielder.

Nonetheless, Christian Eriksen’s readiness to join the Red Devils over his former club Brentford should be viewed as positive news. Eriksen produced some notable performances in the second half of last season for Brentford, especially in the wins over Chelsea and Everton to help Thomas Frank and co. achieve a 13th-place finish.

The creative midfielder performed exceptionally well in the final third after averaging 2 shots, 2.7 key passes and 0.7 dribbles per game while maintaining a solid pass completion rate of 80.9% in the Premier League (Stats courtesy: Whoscored). He mainly operates as an attacking midfielder but can play off the left or right flank, and in a deeper role, as witnessed in Brentford colours under Thomas Frank.

The Dane would inject creativity and guile into ten Hag’s side and is more than capable of securing a regular starting spot at Old Trafford. Due to his passing ability, vision, spatial awareness and work ethic, Eriksen could potentially combine well with the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and Donny Van de Beek. He would also improve Manchester United’s depth in midfield, whilst replacing the departed Mata in the squad.

At 30, Eriksen still has a lot of football left in him. He has shown great signs of recovery from the unfortunate cardiac arrest, and on a free transfer, the playmaker would represent an excellent piece of business done by Manchester United.