World Cup winner loves high IQ Man Utd star who’s proven Ten Hag wrong
A World Cup winner and former Man Utd midfielder has hailed two stars signed by Erik ten Hag, with one in particular proving the Dutchman wrong in a very welcome way.
Manchester United’s summer window appeared to be veering off course for much of the summer. The Red Devils did wrap up deals for Tyrell Malacia and Christian Eriksen nice and early, though further deals were far from straightforward.
Lisandro Martinez was eventually plucked from Ajax amid strong competition from Arsenal. The Ten Hag connection served United well, with the Gunners instead going on to sign Oleksandr Zinchenko.
The Frenkie de Jong pursuit threatened to undermine Ten Hag’s first window. Indeed, only when United abandoned their pursuit were other midfield targets explored.
Adrien Rabiot came and went before United quickly wrapped up a move for Casemiro. Antony rounded out the permanent arrivals when signing from Ajax in a deal that could hit £86m.
The fact De Jong was pursued so heavily even after signing Eriksen seemed to suggest Ten Hag believed he needed even more creativity in midfield. The two maestros effectively occupy the same role – a deep-lying playmaker tasked with pulling the strings.
Yet Eriksen has quickly established himself as an integral part of Ten Hag’s plans. The classy Dane has earned rave reviews from Paul Scholes and given he didn’t cost a fee, is unquestionably a masterstroke signing.
United and Ten Hag seem to have come around to the belief Eriksen is indeed the answer in midfield.
Indeed, the Red Devils are chasing a new right-back and centre-forward next month, while speculation surrounding midfield additions has gone quiet.
Now, speaking to Man Utd’s club media, former World Cup winner, Bastian Schweinsteiger, waxed lyrical about Eriksen.
“He has the vision, he has the brain”
Schweinsteiger lifted the World Cup with Germany in 2014 before signing with Man Utd a year later. The move came a little too late in his career for United fans to see his best, though he’s widely regarded as one of the finest midfielders of his generation nonetheless.
“He [Eriksen] knows the league, but he knows the game – that is even more important,” said Schweinsteiger.
“He has the vision, he has the brain, he knows when to pass the ball in the right moments.
Schweinsteiger went on to say: “I really like watching him because his IQ is very high.
“I love watching players who are passing the ball in the right moment to give your teammate more time to do something, and he is doing that and it is great to see.”
Schweinsteiger also ran the rule over centre-half Martinez.
Man Utd defender proves lazy criticism wrong
The Argentine raised eyebrows when Ten Hag signalled his intention to deploy him at centre-half in England.
That led to the archaic view a player of his relatively short stature – 5ft 9in – would struggle in the rough and tumble Premier League.
However, Martinez has quickly laid that narrative to rest and has already forged a fine partnership with Raphael Varane. In doing so, he’s relegated £80m signing and England regular Harry Maguire to the bench.
“He is South American, he has that passion!” added Schweinsteiger.
“But also, he is a very smart player, otherwise you can’t play that position [centre-back] with that size.
“He knows exactly what to do on the field, he likes to play with the ball, and he likes the fans, so I think that he will be one of the big strengths for the season.”
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