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Eriksen tipped to change ‘diva mentality’ at Man Utd as Lindegaard talks up ‘fairytale’ transfer

Christian Eriksen is the kind of character that can change the “diva mentality” at Manchester United, says fellow Dane and former Red Devils goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard.

GOAL has been able to confirm that an agreement is in place for the 30-year-old playmaker to link up with Premier League heavyweights following the expiration of his short-term deal at Brentford.

Eriksen is only just over a year out from suffering a cardiac arrest while representing his country at Euro 2020, but he has made an impressive return to competitive action and is considered to offer the perfect blend of ability and personality to a United squad that has badly underperformed of late.

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Is Eriksen the right fit for Man Utd?

Ex-Denmark international Lindegaard – who made 29 appearances for United between 2010 and 2015 - has no doubt that Eriksen will improve Erik ten Hag’s ranks, telling BBC Sport: “It’s a fairytale story. No-one would have seen that in a crystal ball and I’m just so happy for Christian that he’s been able to make it back in such a great way.

"I’m very impressed, but not particularly surprised. Christian has got a special kind of mentality; a mentality that will suit United very much. He’s not in football for the fame, the money, the luxury lifestyle or showing off. Christian is in football for the love of the game - in a way that I don’t know anyone else is.

“For that reason mainly, he fits very well at United which, looking from the outside, has turned into a club with a lot of diva mentality, a lot of players who have a lot of followers on social media - and you get the sense that becoming a part of Manchester United is part of getting more attention and personal branding.

“Christian comes in as a completely different character. He couldn’t care less about followers on social media. He couldn’t care less about fancy cars or expensive watches. All he cares about is playing football, enjoying football and making it into the beautiful game we all want it to be.”

How will Eriksen fit into Man Utd’s system?

As reported by GOAL, Ten Hag told United’s board that he wanted to sign Eriksen and top target, Frenkie de Jong, as part of a midfield overhaul.

That is the area he considers most in need of address since taking over from interim boss Ralf Rangnick, with Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic, Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard all leaving as free agents on the back of the 2021-22 campaign.

Ten Hag sees Eriksen as being capable of playing in a deeper midfield role, or as a No.10, to give him more options in the Red Devils’ engine room alongside the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Scott McTominay and Fred.

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