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Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy is far from impressed by the news about Manchester United potentially signing Christian Eriksen.
As reported by Fabrizio Romano, the Red Devils are set to sign the Danish playmaker on a free transfer on a three-year deal.
Murphy has insisted that although he is a huge fan of the former Tottenham Hotspur and Brentford star, Eriksen is unlikely to become a regular at Old Trafford. He suggested that Eriksen will be just a squad player at Manchester United, who also have Bruno Fernandes in the same position.
The former England midfielder told talkSPORT:
“It’s a difficult one because I really like Eriksen. I’ve always admired him in terms of his creativity and the way he’s free with his football and tries things. Would it excite me if I was a United fan? He’s going to be a squad player, isn’t he? He’s not going to play instead of [Bruno] Fernandes. He’s a welcome addition to any squad because he has experience and he has quality."
He continued:
"But if you’re looking at the big games where United compete with Liverpool, City and Chelsea, is he going to play in their first 11? No, is the answer, if they want to be competitive. You can’t play him and Fernandes. He’s a number 10 or a number 8. [Paul] Pogba and Fernandes played together on occasion, but not very often and that’s why United were so easy to play against at times."
Murphy has claimed that he understands why the Dane has opted for a switch to a big club like Manchester United. However, he has insisted that Manchester United will be far off the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea with signings like Eriksen. Murphy said:
“If they have two holding players or get [Frenkie] De Jong in, Eriksen could temporarily play as a holding midfielder, but he’s not a holding midfielder. He’s not going to be instead of De Jong. They’ll go for someone like De Jong if they can’t get him. For Eriksen, it’s a wonderful opportunity to be at a huge club again after everything he’s been through."
“I can understand why he’d go there, I understand why the draw of Man United would get him over the line, but in the cold light of day if they want to be competitive with Liverpool, City and Chelsea, that’s not the type of signing that United should be making.”
Is Christian Eriksen making a mistake by joining Manchester United?
Christian Eriksen has been through a lot over the past couple of years year and has shown a great determination to come back and play at the highest level. The Dane suffered a cardiac arrest during his side's opening group game against Finland at Euro 2020.
Many wondered if Eriksen would retire following the incident. However, the midfielder returned to action after being fitted with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator device.
He had a brilliant six-month spell with Brentford last season, during which he scored once and provided four assists in 11 games.
Eriksen is predominantly a number ten who is also capable of playing as a creative number eight.
He is unlikely to enjoy more playing time than Bruno Fernandes, who also occupies a similar position at Manchester United.
