Details of deal emerge as Man Utd prepare to announce Christian Eriksen signing with Australian fanfare
Manchester United are reportedly looking to unveil the signing of Christian Eriksen during their summer tour of Australia.
Eriksen remains a free agent after leaving Brentford at the end of last season. But, after being tempted by a return to Tottenham, the Dane now looks set to pen a three-year deal and join Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils appointed the Dutchman as their new boss this summer. However, new signings have so far proved elusive, with only Tyrell Malacia arriving from Feyenoord – although more are expected to follow.
Ten Hag is known to want more creativity from his midfield, with Eriksen fitting the bill perfectly.
The 30-year-old showed in his stint with the Bees that he is now fully recovered from his cardiac arrest last summer, having had an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator fitted.
And, according to ESPN, Eriksen has now completed a thorough medical and has verbally agreed to the three-year deal.
Indeed, United are hopeful the former Spurs and Ajax star will be able to join his new team-mates Down Under.
Ten Hag’s men arrived in Australia on Wednesday, fresh off their 4-0 friendly thumping of Liverpool in Bangkok.
Jadon Sancho, Fred, Anthony Martial and Facundo Pellistri were all on target in a morale-boosting win over the Anfield outfit.
Busy United schedule continues
United are now set to face A-League side Melbourne Victory on Friday at the city’s cricket ground. They will then go head-to-head with Crystal Palace at the same venue next Tuesday.
The Red Devils end their tour with a clash against Aston Villa at Perth’s Optus Stadium on Saturday July 23.
As for Eriksen, the playmaker will add some crucial experience to United’s midfield after Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic and Juan Mata all left this summer.
The Denmark legend has made 237 Premier League appearances during spells with Spurs and Brentford.
Eriksen has also won 115 caps for his country. And he was instrumental in steering Brentford well clear of relegation last season.
Ten Hag could face Eriksen dilemma
While Ten Hag can clearly not wait to get Eriksen through the door, the Dane could end up giving his new boss a potential headache.
At this stage, it’s not clear whether Ten Hag plans on playing Eriksen as part of a two-man central midfield or in a No.10 role.
That playmaking position is normally taken up by Bruno Fernandes. So getting the two to gel together could create an issue.
Both love being on the ball and dictating games. But if Eriksen plays deeper it also means whoever he partners will have a tough defensive shift every game.
The Dane’s best assets do not include going with runners and mixing it in terms of tackling.
To that end, it will be really interesting to see how Ten Hag utilises both Eriksen and Fernandes in the same team.
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