Pochettino should drop Eriksen and try to sell Spurs star in January - Redknapp

Mauricio Pochettino should drop Christian Eriksen from his starting line-up, according to Harry Redknapp, who thinks the Tottenham midfielder is just waiting to leave the club next year.

Eriksen is due to become a free agent upon the expiration of his current contract next summer, and he is free to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with any potential suitors in January.

Spain is understood to be the Danish star's first choice next destination, with Real Madrid and Barcelona linked with his services during the last transfer window.

However, Manchester United have also identified Eriksen as a target, with head coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looking to bring in a playmaker capable of solving his side's creativity issues in midfield.

Redknapp, who enjoyed a successful four-year spell at Tottenham between 2008 and 2012, thinks Pochettino should restrict Eriksen's playing time between now and the end of the 2019-20 campaign, with it his belief that the 27-year-old "doesn’t want to be part of the team".

“I don’t see him signing a new contract now. I think he will let it run out and take that option of being a free agent next summer," Redknapp told The Sun.

“So if he doesn’t want to stay and has made up his mind to go, I’d be looking to play someone else now.

“If he doesn’t want to be part of the team, it’s very difficult — you want people who want to play for the club — and it’s time to say right, OK.”

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Eriksen has been a key presence in Spurs' line up since his arrival from Ajax in 2013 and his performances last season helped the team reach a Champions League final.

However, he has struggled to exert the same influence from the middle of the pitch this term, contributing just one goal and one assist in 10 Premier League outings.

Redknapp added on Eriksen's recent slump in form: "He’s a great player, no doubt. He’s a fantastic footballer, but his form of late has been poor.

“He’s not in form and wants to leave at the end of the year — he’s stated quite plainly he is keen to go, even though Tottenham must have offered him a new contract.”

Redknapp expects Eriksen to bide his time before leaving Tottenham, with a more lucrative wage packet likely to be forthcoming in the summer if he turns down any January offers.

“You get to January and see if you can sell him then," he said. "But he probably won’t move then because, if he hangs on until the summer and sees his contract out, he’s a free agent.

“Let’s say his value is £50 million. When he is a free agent he can go to a club and his agent will say his value is £50m if you bought him.

“Now you are getting him for nothing, so you give him £25m and you will still have a bargain.

“So somebody will give him a big signing-on fee plus his wages, so he is really going to set himself up for life by hanging on now.

“He has gone this far. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. But he has to start playing better anyway to get the move he wants.”