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Christian Eriksen revealed Erik ten Hag’s brand of football was a major factor behind his desire to join Manchester United, as he targets World Cup duty with Denmark.
Eriksen arrived at United on a three-year deal this month, having impressed during a short-term spell at Brentford as he made his comeback from suffering a cardiac arrest at the European Championship in June of last year.
Several sides expressed an interest in the midfielder – including his old club Tottenham – but Eriksen decided to link up with another former Ajax favourite in new United boss Ten Hag.
United have impressed in pre-season as Ten Hag bids to implement a more proactive style of play at Old Trafford, and the playmaker is relishing the prospect of turning out for the Dutchman’s new-look team.
Asked how influential Ten Hag was in his decision to join United, Eriksen told the club’s website: “Very. I want to come here to play football, I didn’t come just for the logo itself.
“To speak with the manager, and hear his ideas and have conversations with him on football terms, was great for me to get the decision of coming to Manchester United.
“I think, with the idea of the manager coming in and the ideas he had, and also with my conversations with him, I could see myself playing football in Manchester.
“I think my style of play hopefully fits in his ideas, and it’s hopefully something that will connect in a good and positive way. So of course, this style of football, I think it suits me.
“At the same time, it’s a very, very big club – if not the biggest. It has a big history, and it’s a nice feeling to be part of something that is that big in history.
“The only aim is to go as high as possible and see where it takes us, the aim is definitely to win something.”
Eriksen scored one goal and added four assists in 11 Premier League appearances for Brentford, creating 30 chances after making his Bees debut in March, a tally bettered only by Martin Odegaard (38) and Kevin De Bruyne (42) throughout the division.
Meanwhile, since Eriksen made his Premier League bow for Tottenham in September 2013, only De Bruyne (85) has racked up more than his 66 assists in the competition – despite the Dane spending 18 months at Inter and a further half-season out of the game.
Having left Spurs for the Serie A giants in January 2020, Eriksen doubted whether he would return to the Premier League, but he remains grateful for Brentford’s role in his comeback.
He said: “I think from my career path, before my incident in the Euros, I wasn’t planning to go back to the UK at all. To sit here is definitely something I didn’t expect.
“Back then, I wanted to try something new and left Spurs after more than seven years. I went to Italy and it started off tough but ended up being a very, very good place.”
Asked about his time with Thomas Frank’s Bees, Eriksen added: “I’m forever grateful for what they did. They showed they cared from day one, for wanting me back and being able to give me the stage to perform.”
Eriksen also made an emotional return to international football in March, scoring with his first touch in Denmark’s defeat to the Netherlands.
With Kasper Hjulmand’s team preparing for a World Cup campaign in Qatar later this year, Eriksen says featuring at the tournament for a third time remains an ambition.
“From when I did my rehab last year, that was the aim. The dream was obviously to be back and in condition to go to the World Cup if I could,” Eriksen said. “It’s something I think we all dream about, playing in the World Cup. It’s something that you keep with you forever.”
