Christian Eriksen will return to familiar grounds as a Dane but unbelievably, it will be the first time in his entire career that he has played a competitive club game in his home country.

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Eriksen was discovered in Denmark when he was part of an OB youth squad.

However, such was his technical mastery at the time that he had already caught the attention of major European clubs.

Before he could break through at Denmark and make a senior club appearance there, he was already off to the Netherlands with Ajax.

He stayed there for six years, four of those being in the first team before moving to Tottenham Hotspur where he unlocked another level to his game.

In his professional career spanning nearly 14 years, it is remarkable to see that he has never stepped foot in Denmark for a senior club side.

Teams from Denmark don’t qualify for the Champions League regularly, while the sides he has played for have inevitably been in that competition more often than not.

Furthermore, the Danish football scene in Europe is not particularly strong.

Nordsjaelland, Brondby, Mdtyjlland, and Copenhagen are the strongest names in the league but are rarely seen in the latter stages of the competition.

In terms of other homecomings, Rasmus Hojlund will also be returning to familiar grounds.

The United striker came through the ranks of Copenhagen, making 19 appearances for the side before moving to Austria’s Sturm Graz.

He will meet his brother Oscar Hojlund, with another sibling of his, Emil Hojlund, also on the books at the Danish club.

United need a win to keep their Champions League alive and they will undoubtedly need their Danish duo to produce the goods and get United firing in attack.

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Heading into the game, pressure was mounting on Erik ten Hag and his players to get back to winning ways after a number of poor results.

Ten Hag started Andre Onana in goal, with a defensive four of Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Harry Maguire, Jonny Evans and Diogo Dalot ahead of the Cameroonian.

In midfield, Christian Eriksen started as United’s deepest-lying man with Bruno Fernandes and Scott McTominay alongside him in the middle of the park.

Rasmus Hojlund led the line with Antony and Alejandro Garnacho on either side. Here are three things we learned from Manchester United’s 1 – 0 win against Fulham.

Raphael Varane’s peculiar exclusion

In yet another game, Varane was left out.

Amidst suggestions of rifts in the background and dressing room unrest, it was reported that Varane is one of the players who may be unhappy with Ten Hag.

It was relayed that the Frenchman was not amused by the manager’s decision to leave him out of the game against Manchester City in favour of Evans and Maguire due to “tactical reasons.”

Varane did not feature vs. Newcastle in the Carabao Cup. United claimed that he was ill and that was the sole reason for his absence.

Conflicting reports relayed that the World Cup winner did not train and was not satisfied with his ongoing situation with respect to lack of game time despite being fit.

It was therefore surprising when the team sheet came out for the Fulham game and Varane was on the bench again.

It’s puzzling that Ten Hag gave the nod to Maguire and Evans once more despite Varane’s presence.

On more than one occasion across the 90 minutes, Maguire had to come off for treatment but even then, Ten Hag did not opt for Varane.

Not to say that Maguire and Evans have done anything particularly wrong when they’ve started together but few will disagree that Varane offers much more and is easily the better defender when in top shape and injury-free.

Varane only came on int the dying embers of the game for Garnacho, to ensure United got over the line.

United struggling to create enough clear-cut goalscoring opportunities

A noticeable theme of the game was just how much the Red Devils struggled to fashion enough goalscoring chances.

With the exception of McTominay’s disallowed goal in the opening 45 minutes, United barely created anything for the rest of the half – something that extended into the second period.

Most of United’s chances came about through trying long-distance efforts that frankly, didn’t trouble Bernd Leno who was mostly comfortable throughout the game.

Ten Hag’s men had a lot of possession but it’s disappointing they could not do much with the ball up until Fernandes grabbed the late winner.

United had Eriksen and Fernandes on the pitch, arguably two of the Premier League’s most creative midfielders but even then, chances were far between each other.

As has usually been the case, Hojlund cut a very frustrated and lonely figure up front. The Dane did not have much to pounce on.

He was visibly angry when substituted.

During the game, the away fans could be heard chanting “attack attack attack” in an apparent effort to get the players to speed things up.

United’s forwards have struggled to put the ball into the back of the net this term and while this has been down to poor finishing, another primary reason is that they’ve not been presented with enough opportunities to score.

This is something Ten Hag will undoubtedly be keen to sort out if he is to be successful in retaining his job as manager of the 20-time English champions.

Antony extremely poor again

Antony was easily United’s poorest performer against Fulham.

The Brazilian contributed next to nothing when he was on and it was hardly a shock that he was the first to be taken just minutes after the hour mark.

It has usually been said that Ten Hag’s continued selection of Antony and his favouritism for the player is one of the players’ major gripes with the Dutchman.

Consistently this season, Antony has failed to justify his inclusion in the starting XI and already, he appears to be another player United have wasted big money on.

Even Facundo Pellistri who only played a few minutes managed to do more than Antony did. The Uruguayan registered an assist for Fernandes’ goal.

It’s telling that when the 23-year-old came off, United fans cheered in response to the change made by Ten Hag.

There's a Brazilian winger on the pitch United could/should have signed: Willian in 2018.
United fans cheered as Antony was substituted. He has been abysmal again. #mufc

— Samuel Luckhurst (@samuelluckhurst) November 4, 2023

If United are to be a successful team going forward, they can no longer rely on Antony – clearly a very limited and one-dimensional player not suited to playing at this level.

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A double from Erling Haaland and a goal from Phil Foden were enough to hand Erik ten Hag his fifth defeat in 10 Premier League games this season.

Late into the game, Fernandes started recklessly charging about and diving into challenges, seemingly frustrated by the result and his own performance.

Fernandes tried to put in a heavy tackle on John Stones, who easily bypassed the Portuguese midfielder before proceeding forward.

After the incident, Neville said, “He’s trying to do someone there, Fernandes. He’s trying to do John Stones but he’s seen him coming and he’s ended up hurting himself. He’s conning no one with what he’s been trying to do over the past few minutes.”

Neville also took issue with Fernandes’ complaints to referee Paul Tierney, who dished out a yellow card to Antony for a lunging challenge on Jeremy Doku. Neville added on this, “There’s the couple of whinges that I promised you.”

The former defender also ripped into Antony for clashing with Doku, just minutes after being brought on as a substitute by Ten Hag in a desperate effort to make a difference.

He remarked on Antony, “Doku is absolutely right, Antony just has a kick at him. United have lost their discipline, it starts with the captain. It’s absolutely ridiculous, I would just send him off. It’s embarrassing.”

Neville spoke on Sky Sports and questioned United’s “strange” transfer strategy and specifically their recruitment of midfielders.

Ten Hag started a midfield trio of Sofyan Amrabat, Christian Eriksen and Scott McTominay in the number 10 position.

Amrabat’s substitution at the interval saw Mason Mount come in. McTominay was pushed back to the pivot, with Eriksen as the deepest-lying midfielder.

Mount barely had a kick and his introduction was ultimately a futile endeavour. City still managed to easily power through United in the middle of the park.

This prompted Neville to explain, “You just sort of wonder how they have been recruited. Eriksen, Fernandes and Mount are all No.10s. There is three of them.”

“Casemiro and Amrabat are the ones who sit a little bit deeper. McTominay, to be fair, was supposed to be leaving, he [Ten Hag] wanted him out, and he is probably now United’s best midfield player in terms of performances in these last few weeks. It is all a little bit strange.”

United face Newcastle next in the Carabao Cup at Old Trafford.

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The backline has seen plenty of chopping and changing but while the manager has just cause to do that, he has struggled to pick a stable midfield.

The Dutchman has picked multiple midfield combinations but has hardly ever seen his team manage to gain control of a game from the start.

Eriksen unhappy with minutes

United have struggled to break down teams, even at Old Trafford and one player whose introduction has changed games recently is Christian Eriksen.

The Dane has not started as many games as he would have liked and he made it known to the media with a blunt declaration after his Copenhagen heroics.

The 31-year-old came on at half-time and provided the crucial assist while also helping United regain control of the midfield. He has started only thrice this season, accumulating only 401 minutes in the Premier League thus far.

There have been calls for Ten Hag to include him more often especially at home due to his innate ability to breakdown tight defences with his ethereal passing.

Eriksen has admitted his unhappiness at his lack of minutes so far and if it does not improve, there is a chance the midfielder could be the subject of interest from a top-four rival.

As per Fichajes, Newcastle United are on the lookout for a replacement for Sandro Tonali who has been handed a 10-month suspension for his involvement in a betting scandal.

Eriksen is reportedly a target with Eddie Howe aware of the United man’s ability to control the tempo and dictate proceedings.

“Newcastle United are seriously considering a bold move in the January transfer market as they have set their sights on experienced Manchester United midfielder Christian Eriksen.

Newcastle eyeing surprise Eriksen move

“The move comes as a response to Sandro Tonali’s recent suspension due to betting issues, leaving the Magpies with an urgent need in midfield.

“With Eriksen set to become a free agent at the end of the season, Manchester United could consider selling him at a reasonable price to avoid him becoming unusable.”

Eriksen might have lost his running power and he struggles in the big away games, but he remains United’s most accomplished passer in midfield.

Ten Hag was served well last season when playing Casemiro alongside him and if the Brazilian can regain his form, Eriksen remains United’s best bet at home and the thought of a transfer should not be entertained.

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It was yet another lackluster start from the home side with manager Erik ten Hag to blame for his flawed team selection, especially considering it was a must-win game.

The Dutchman opted to play it safe and employed Sofyan Amrabat as the holding midfielder with Bruno Fernandes accompanying him as the No 8.

ETH needs to be more positive, especially at Old Trafford

That meant United hardly ever got control of the midfield and there was a dearth of someone who can control the tempo of the game while making line-breaking passes.

A game at Old Trafford where the opposition sit deep and allow the opposition to have the ball is the perfect place to play Christian Eriksen as the Dane remains the best passer at the club.

Just like against Brentford earlier in the season, Ten Hag turned to the 31-year-old at half-time and it was his entry that turned the game on its head.

Harry Maguire‘s winning goal came from an inch-perfect Eriksen cross and it was a timely reminder of the Denmark international’s undoubted talent.

Despite playing only one half of football on Tuesday, he walked away with the Man of the Match award and made a great case for his inclusion for the all-important Manchester derby at the weekend.

It is true that the former Tottenham Hotspur man can no longer run for 90 minutes and might struggle against the big teams especially away from home, but at Old Trafford, Ten Hag should turn to the Dane way more often.

Eriksen can make the difference from midfield

Eriksen has one goal and two assists so far this season but has started only four games so far and he was asked about the manager’s reluctance to play him.

“Ask the manager why I’m starting on the bench, that’s out of my hands,” Eriksen told TNT Sports. “But obviously I want to play as much as possible. Obviously, the manager is looking the other way, but at the moment if you win like this, it’s worth it.”

He was asked something similar during the international break by Danish broadcasters and he had indicated at that time that he was not happy with the amount of minutes he was getting.

Eriksen clearly has the ability to dictate the tempo while his ethereal passing is what United are lacking in midfield at the moment.

If United can employ a solid defensive midfielder alongside him, the Dane should be Ten Hag’s go-to man, especially in home games.

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A struggling Manchester United managed to come away with a narrow 1-0 victory over F.C. Copenhagen in their third group game of the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday night.

While Man United struggled to make the most of their opportunities in front of goal, central midfielder Christian Eriksen proved to be the playmaker they required in order to unlock the visitors’ defence and secure a much-needed victory.

After coming on for Sofyan Amrabat at the start of the second half, it was clear that Eriksen was being relied upon by Erik ten Hag as the player who would rejuvenate United’s midfield as they searched for three points.

Much of the Danish international’s performance was understated, given that he took a single shot on target while making zero attempts at dribbling.

In defence, he appeared ineffective as well, losing possession four times while failing to make any tackles.

He also made just one clearance and one interception during his second-half cameo.

Where Eriksen did excel, however, was in his passing game, which is his primary function after all.

With 35 touches of the ball, the 31 year old attempted 29 passes.

He successfully completed 26 of them, making for an impressive 90% passing accuracy.

Eriksen also successfully delivered three of his four attempted long balls, along with one of his two crosses.

The Danish midfielder’s moment of magic came in the 72nd minute when he hammered a surgically-precise cross into the box toward Harry Maguire, who headed home United’s winner to send Old Trafford into jubilation.

With his passing masterclass and ability to make the most of limited touches on the ball, Eriksen showed that he still possesses heaps of creativity that comes in handy during matches where United are otherwise struggling to engineer scoring opportunities.

Furthermore, Eriksen has proven that perhaps the time has come for Ten Hag to insert him back into the starting lineup, especially as some other central midfielders continue to exhibit poor form.

(Stats via Sofascore)

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Ten Hag spoke to the media after his side’s dramatic 1-0 win against FC Copenhagen.

A second-half goal from Harry Maguire and a late penalty save from Andre Onana at the death secured all three points for United.

United stepped up the pace in the second period of the game but were poor during the opening 45 minutes.

The Red Devils struggled to control the game and create enough chances to bury FC Copenhagen. It was not until Christian Eriksen came on that United’s fortunes changed.

The Dane brought calm and composure in the middle of the park, and it was fitting that he was awarded the man-of-the-match award.

Ten Hag told TNT Sports after the game, “Every time we have to change at the back. If you look back to last year we had a very good back four, it was consistent. Every time we control the game.”

“This season, we have to swap and make adjustments in the back and then the midfield opens up. We have struggled to get the right balance.”

“After a poor first half we stayed calm. Second half we stepped up and overall we created more chances than them. The win is justified but it was a narrow escape in the end.”

The Dutchman said on Eriksen’s impact, “Christian [Eriksen] is always positive. You see, he brings football. We didn’t have the football in the first half.”

Ten Hag argued that United deserved a penalty when Kamil Grabara seemed to have brought down Marcus Rashford just inside the FC Copenhagen box.

However, Rashford was judged to have been offside by the match officials.

Replays suggested that the English forward may have in fact been onside, meaning a penalty was on the cards. Ten Hag remarked on this, “We conceded a very light penalty and I think we should have got a penalty on Rashford, I don’t know why there is no penalty. But we dealt with it and that’s progress compared to a few weeks ago when we lost track because of refereeing decisions.”

The United boss also hailed the impacts of Onana and Maguire for their heroic interventions.

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The winning goal came from an unlikely source with Harry Maguire leaping the highest to convert from a beautiful Christian Eriksen cross in the second half.

Everything could have come crashing down for United deep into added time when the visiting side were awarded a penalty for a foul by Scott McTominay on Mohamed Elyounoussi.

United lucky to escape with a win

However, goalkeeper Andre Onana, who has endured a terrible start to life as a United keeper, saved his team’s blushes and ensured the Red Devils opened their account in the competition.

The hosts were once again poor right from the word go and manager Erik ten Hag deserves criticism for his flawed tactics and team selection.

Injuries have certainly robbed the manager of the chance to pick his strongest XI but his choice of personnel and where they play is certainly stopping the team from starting games on the front foot.

Sofyan Amrabat and Bruno Fernandes started as the midfield duo while Scott McTominay played in an advanced position due to his goalscoring prowess.

But that meant United hardly had any control of the midfield and all they did in the opening 45 minutes was hoof the ball long without any real plan.

Playing at home against Copenhagen with three points an absolute necessity required more courage and conviction from Ten Hag and after a lackluster first half, the Dutchman was once again forced to alter his plans.

ETH guilty of selecting the wrong personnel again

At half-time, he brought on Christian Eriksen in midfield and it suddenly opened things up as United slowly began dominating and creating chances.

Alejandro Garnacho’s introduction in place of Antony was another change that needed to be made and once done, the team reaped the benefits with the Argentine a constant thorn in the Danish team’s side.

Ten Hag keeps selecting the Brazilian despite his below-par showings and it needs to stop. The former Ajax winger is clearly not at his best and needs to be dropped for the next game.

The manager clearly likes a left-footed profile out on the right but presently, the Brazil international looks bereft of ideas and the Dutchman cannot keep hoping for a different outcome while selecting the same player.

United keep being reactive instead of proactive and it is costing them so far this season. While the big-name players have let the manager down, Ten Hag is also not helping matters at this present moment..

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Heading into the game, United were sitting bottom of Group A with zero points after successive defeats to Bayern Munich and Galatasaray.

Erik ten Hag started Andre Onana in goal. In defence, the United boss named Diogo Dalot, Raphael Varane, Harry Maguire and Sergio Reguilon.

A trio of Sofyan Amrabat, Scott McTominay and Bruno Fernandes were tasked with patrolling the middle of the park.

Rasmus Hojlund led the line with Antony and Marcus Rashford on either wing. Here are three things we learned from Manchester United’s 1-0 win against FC Copenhagen.

Questionable starting XI selections by Ten Hag

When the official team sheet came out, there were valid concerns about some of the names on it as well as absentees.

A number of stars who did not play well against Sheffield United were surprisingly included in the starting XI.

In yet another game, McTominay was given the nod ahead of other players such as Mason Mount and Hannibal Mejbri.

At Bramall Lane, McTominay was poor despite the fact that he scored a goal. To put his display vs. the Blades into context, the Scotland international only completed nine passes during the 60 or so minutes he was on the pitch.

It was therefore a bit puzzling that he was rewarded with a start.

Another player who was below par against Sheffield United was Antony, but just like McTominay, the Brazilian winger started vs. FC Copenhagen, in a game the Red Devils absolutely needed to win if they were to have any chance of making it out of Group A.

In truth, Antony has not done anything of note this season and his continued selection in the starting XI no matter how poorly he performs is becoming mind-boggling.

Even Ten Hag’s trusted men like Rashford and Fernandes have not come up with the goods in recent games, and a case could be made that they should also be part of a long overdue cull with respect to team selections.

Ten Hag’s questionable picking of the starting XI is more often than not made more glaring by the huge impacts made by the substitutes such as Christian Eriksen and Alejandro Garnacho.

Garnacho looked lively and dangerous when he was introduced into proceedings. The Argentine had a few cracks at goal and would have been disappointed not to have got one.

Eriksen came close to opening the score just nine minutes after the interval with a shot that required the opposition goalkeeper to come up with a superb save.

It was the midfielder who produced a stunning cross to Maguire, who headed the ball into the back of the net to give United the lead.

It’s important that going forward, Ten Hag practises what he publicly preaches – that breaking into the team is contingent on merit and current form rather than reputation and what one has done in the past.

United not creating nearly enough chances for Hojlund

A recurring theme that has consistently become apparent this season is that United have not been playing to Rasmus Hojlund’s strengths.

During a period of turmoil for the team, the 20-year-old has been one of the few positives.

Against FC Copenhagen, Hojlund held up the ball well and kept possession even when under extreme pressure.

His link-up play is one of the goalscorer’s best attributes and he showed this against the opposition.

Hojlund demonstrated clever movement, especially inside the box but unfortunately for him, his teammates could not pick him out.

Dutch legend Ruud Gullit recently accused United players of ignoring Hojlund’s runs and not offering him adequate support – this was evident against FC Copenhagen.

United need to work towards finding Hojlund more and providing him with enough service.

He frequently cuts a lonely figure up front and this is something Ten Hag and his coaching staff must seek to remedy.

Incredible turnaround by Maguire

Maguire has started United’s last three games and in all three, the England international has barely put a foot wrong.

Courtesy of his fantastic header, the 20-time English champions still have a chance of making it out of the group and advancing to the next round of the competition.

Maguire has been solid defensively and during a season in which Ten Hag has had to deal with multiple injuries to his defenders, the former club skipper has really stepped up and showed what he is made of.

The 30-year-old looked nailed on to leave Old Trafford during the summer transfer window after a bid from West Ham was accepted.

However, since the move collapsed, he has focused and worked hard on getting back into the team.

It’s fitting that he is reaping the rewards after such a difficult few seasons.

Onana saves United

Right at the death, FC Copenhagen were awarded a penalty after a high boot from McTominay almost took out a rival player.

However, Onana, who has had a difficult start to life at United, came up clutch when he saved the penalty.

The emotions could be seen by just how emphatically his teammates came up to him, hugged him and congratulated him.

Hopefully, the Cameroonian kicks on now and shows his quality on a consistent basis.

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The midfield maestro played his 126th game for his national side last night, in a hotly-contested match against European minnows, San Marino.

Denmark won 2-1 in a game which was a far sterner test for the Nordic side than many may have anticipated.

Rasmus Højlund opened proceedings with a finish as perfectly placed as it was powerful, before San Marino responded to make it 1-1 in the second half. This constituted San Marino’s first goal in a competitive game in two years.

Yussuf Poulsen responded ten minutes later, however, to ultimately give Denmark victory.

Eriksen played the full ninety minutes, as he did three days prior in the Dane’s 3-1 win over Kazakhstan.

The Manchester United man described the honour he felt at reaching such a figure in the build-up to the match against San Marino.

“I am happy to reach 126 games against San Marino. Then I come to the side of Dennis Rommedahl. He welcomed me very well when I started in Ajax and in the national team. I am happy and proud to reach that number,” Eriksen revealed.

The current record holder for appearances is Simon Kjær – the experienced centre-half and current Danish captain – with 129 caps.

Kjær is still a regular stalwart at the heart of Denmark’s defence and expected to continue adding to his tally.

The defender is 34 years of age, however, in comparison to Eriksen’s more tender 31. Father Time will come for Kjær sooner than his midfield compatriot.

While it may not happen anytime soon, the midfielder will undoubtedly win in the race for top honours among cap holders in the long-run.

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