- Dane joined Red Devils in 2022
- Briefly worked alongside Portuguese
- Competition to take set-pieces
WHAT HAPPENED? The Danish playmaker joined the ranks at Old Trafford as a free agent in the summer of 2022. He is a proven performer in dead-ball situations, but the same could be said for a number of his team-mates – including the five-time Ballon d’Or-winning Portuguese. Eriksen incurred Ronaldo’s wrath during one of his early outings for United, with the all-time great nudged to one side when the Red Devils were awarded a set-piece.
WHAT THEY SAID: Eriksen has told a free-kick masterclass on MUTV: “Even now at the club we have multiple takers who, if he's had a good day, he's going to have it.”
The Denmark international added on taking one effort off Ronaldo prior to his departure from Old Trafford in November: “I did take one [instead of Ronaldo], I think, but he wasn't too happy with that! But then with the three we have now, it's where we are on the pitch, how people are feeling, so it's like 'you had the last one, I'll have the next one'.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Eriksen forms part of the United free-kick club alongside Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford, while he has struck up a productive midfield partnership with Portuguese star Fernandes and Brazilian ace Casemiro. He said of that unit: “I think from day one we connected really quick. We have three different players but three guys who are not scared of taking the ball and trying to create something.”
IN THREE PHOTOS:
Getty Images
Getty
GettyWHAT NEXT? Eriksen saw an untimely injury prevent him from figuring in the 2023 Carabao Cup final, as United brought their six-year wait for major silverware to a close, but he will be hoping to grace the FA Cup final against Manchester City on June 3 having already helped the Red Devils to a top-four finish in the Premier League.
.jpg)
